Affairs of State
by SconnieSA
Summary: After a troubling experience working for G.U.N., an older & wiser Sonic the Hedgehog is enjoying retirement from the organization with his friends & loved ones. But when it comes to Sonic, danger never ends, & the Fastest Thing Alive must save those he cares for the most from an unlikely villain. Rated M for instances of sexual themes, violence, mild language & crude humor.
1. 1: Taking a Good, Hard Look at My Life

_**PART I: The Important Things in Life**_

 **Ch. 1: Taking a Good, Hard Look at My Life**

 _***Sonic's reflective POV***_

For a while, I've always thought about what was best for me. Friends that would always have my back was one, although I thought back to when I first started my heroics that I'd always a loner. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Good friends like Tails, Knuckles, Amy, the Chaotix, Rouge, Blaze, as well as rivals like Shadow and Silver have come up during my life and the many adventures that I've had, and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to share in my fast-paced escapades.

But the adventures had really slowed down for the last few years, especially since Eggman was taken down and arrested by Shadow and rest of G.U.N. So the times that I could irk him off ended. I miss being a thorn in Eggman's big rear end. I really do. Unfortunately with him in prison with no means of escape, my boredom has risen to startling heights like a dead man's soul to heaven. For those of you not in the know, here's why Eggman and I don't have any worldwide-impacting playdates anymore.

When I was 18 years old, I had just beaten old fat face when he tried using the Chaos Emeralds to power some bizarre cannon that I didn't know what would happen if it did fire, and I really didn't care what it would do. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles backed me up on that mission and Eggman disappeared without much to go on. Completely off-grid and stuff like that. I always wondered when Dr. Eggsalad would be back, but at the time, I had just finished with the dude, and decided to kick back and relax.

At the same time, Rouge had helped Shadow make a jump into working for G.U.N. (that's the Guardian Units of Nations). How, and more importantly, WHY Shadow would ever work for the people that imprisoned him for over fifty years in cryostasis, and then went after him when those odd aliens attacked the planet a few years back is a question I'll _never_ get answered, even by Shadow himself.

From what Rouge has told me, Shadow still felt like he owed a debt to Maria from when she was killed over fifty years ago when the Space Colony ARK was raided. With access to that file, courtesy of Rouge, I now know exactly what happened, because I know that no one in Team Dark, or even the G.U.N. Commander, would tell us what was wrong, at least directly. So my batty friend was able to poach a copy of the entire casefile for my reading pleasure. Strike that, _displeasure_.

Anyways, Shadow was given a mission involving the doctor having stolen a big asset from G.U.N. storage. He wasn't told what it was; all he needed to know was that it was a BIG asset. With that in mind, Shadow went after Eggman and found him in the mountainous base. Shadow was not prepared for what he would find out.

Remember when I said that Amy was in on the last time I fought the doc? Well, Amy was injured during the battle, and started bleeding a bit. As it turned out, Eggman's cannon was never meant to work in the first place, and he just needed bait where I would need to bring in help. But he only needed me to bring one person, and that one person was Amy. He was able to get a sample of her DNA from the blood she let out, and meant for himself to lose, needing the Chaos Emeralds only to get my attention. From there, he robbed a G.U.N. storage facility to get one simple piece from a case from over fifty years ago.

Now back to Shadow. When he was able to get in close to see what Eggman was doing, he was shocked at what he saw, probably horrified. The doc was not trying to whip up another plan to take the planet for himself, but rather play God. That piece that he had stolen from G.U.N. storage was his cousin that had died at the hand of G.U.N. soldiers on the ARK: Maria Robotnik. Well, it wasn't all Maria, just her preserved brain. The rare disease which she was born with was Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or N.I.D.S. for short. The illness itself made the person who had it very frail and weak at all times, and was also fatal. However, G.U.N. hid the fact that the disease mutated. This mutation attacked, or more accurately, affected the brain. While the rest of the body grew weaker and weaker, the brain was getting stronger and stronger, at the time of Maria's death, the brain would always be perfectly preserved, even under the harshest of environments, and never rot away like any body organ would normally do. Her brain was used in G.U.N. studies to try and find an eventual cure that Gerald Robotnik, Maria's and Eggman's grandfather could not, and still a cure was still not created. The irony being that that was the reason Shadow was created in the first place, to find a cure for the N.I.D.S., and that G.U.N. pulled the plug on the operations and had shelved trying to find a cure.

Insteps Eggman again. He explained everything to Shadow from his break-in to Amy's blood sample to trying to recreate Maria, with all of her memories being restored and tried to bring her back into a non-human body, but a hedgehog one, which couldn't be affected with N.I.D.S.. He took Amy's DNA as a base and applied to Maria's DNA creating a clone of Maria in hedgehog form, which was seen growing in a pod in Eggman's base and void of the N.I.D.S., finding the cure himself. He still had the seven Chaos Emeralds too, which would be used as an energy source. He went on to say that he was getting older and older, and wanted to be able to interact with Maria, considering he never had the opportunity as a child to do so. I guess even he looked at himself one day and actually felt remorseful, and reflected on his life choices.

Begging Shadow for a chance to try and bring her back, he appealed to Shadow's want of seeing her alive and well. Hesitant to believe him, he was given the opportunity to test it, even though it seemed impossible, but if he should fail, Eggman would be arrested. The doctor agreed and began his experiment.

Much to the shock of the two, _it worked_. Her body was N.I.D.S.-free, everything worked, and she even recognized Shadow and Eggman, calling him Ivo (Eggman's first name). Given a sky blue dress and headband, she looked exactly like Maria as a hedgehog. Her fur was golden, her sky blue eyes matched her dress and headband, what would have been head quills was really just her regular hair, save for two atop her head that went down both sides of her face, ending at her shoulders. And although she didn't know it at first, a side effect came from the energy of the Chaos Emeralds that helped "revive" her. It turned out that the energy mutated her DNA slightly, where she could now control Chaos Energy like Shadow could, thus making her a powerful, little hedgehog.

However, before anyone was ready to get reacquainted, G.U.N. troops then broke in, going in for Eggman and Maria's human brain. They took in Eggman and Maria, not knowing who she was, while Shadow told her to play along under an alias of "Ashley", stating how she was abducted by Eggman, being a cruel experiment for becoming a new Maria.

Now I'll say this now: HOW MARIA WENT ALONG WITH THAT PLAN, HOW EGGMAN AGREED TO THAT PLAN, AND G.U.N. FOR BELIEVING THEM WAS ALL KINDS OF RIDICLOUS. BUT IT SOMEHOW WORKED. But low and behold, "Ashley" was set free and Shadow somehow skated with the whole plan, as haphazard as it was.

I should say this for the record too. Before Eggman was incarcerated, he made Shadow promise to him that he would always guard and protect her. He really didn't need to say that in all honesty, because that was what Shadow was going to do with her back in his life. To this day, Maria still visits Eggman once every month in prison.

While I'm on the subject of G.U.N., I might as well talk about Rouge, and then I'll get to myself later. I'll give the bat a lot of credit. Being recognized globally as a top-tier treasure hunter, and an even better secret agent, all by the age of seventeen when I first met her, was amazing. To be honest, she hasn't lost a step for as long as I've known her.

For years, she was always after Knuckles' Master Emerald, and they would butt heads often. According to her, when she and Knucklehead were duking it out on the ARK, Rouge fell of a ledge and would've fallen to her death had Knuckles reacted quickly to snatch her and pull her back up. However, since they were in gravity-void space, and oh, some minor details: SHE WAS A BAT, HAD WINGS, AND COULD HAVE EASILY FLOWN OUT OF TROUBLE. I don't see why she claimed that he saved her. Then again, she has a knack for being overly dramatic. But she had to admit, she had a new respect for him, and over time, it developed into more of a crush. I still don't know how you could like _like_ a guy who's been duped by Eggman more times than I've beaten him myself, but whatever.

Her odd crush boiled over one day a few years ago when she went over to swipe the Emerald with Knuckles protecting the gem. The two had a physical fight, but eventually Rouge was tripped up, but brought Knux down with her, with him on top of her. Now I'll be honest, if in Knuckles' position, on top of a drop-dead gorgeous secret agent that was physically naturally gifted, I probably would have gone in for a kiss. But no, she did that for him. Over a year of getting to know each other a lot better, the two got engaged.

For those of you reading this, you're probably wondering why I've brought up Shadow and Rouge more so than Tails, Knuckles, or even Amy for that matter. Well, since you are reading my story, I have to tell you. Remember when I said that Eggman was still locked up? Well with him out of the picture, things had really slowed down for me. I realize "slow" is not in my usual vocabulary, or my day-to-day life for that matter, but it was true. Boredom takes on a lot of different shapes, but even as much I love running around the globe, not saving the world everyday was getting old fast.

Sure, my friends would all try to get me to do stuff for or with them, but it was never interesting to me. I could only test so many of Tails' new gizmos and gadgets, and hear him ramble on and on about technology that would make your eyes spin around in your head… strike that, he already did that to Knuckles. I could not, or better yet, _would not_ go any date with Amy, unless it involved a chili dog. If it did, then I would've gone, but that never happened. Knuckles, well, he was with Rouge anytime she wasn't working for G.U.N., I didn't want to go home to mom and do all the things that a prince should have been doing, and Shadow's people skills, outside of his G.U.N. colleagues and Maria, were lacking. Besides, all he did was brood, even with Maria alive, although he was happier, as minor as it was. Oh, before I forget, Shadow eventually married Maria to further his promise to Egghead that she would keep her safe. Minor details.

So with me being bored as all hell, Rouge of all people did say that I could be a pretty good G.U.N. agent. So me with very little options, I decided to take her up on the offer. After a year and a half into the job, I soon realized that I had made a mistake. Now when I first started out, I knew that I could be at the level of agents that Rouge and Shadow were at, and I knew I could help people in this job, hoping that there would always be something happening, and that I would be sent to deal with the trouble. Taking orders and executing them was not something I was too keen on doing, but I was young, it was my choice, and I wanted it.

I was 19 years old when I first started, and they hired me right away. Hell, even the Commander shook my hand because he was so happy to see me working for him. The two months of training were a nightmare; sixty days of having to take training orders from the likes of Shadow and Rouge. The jewel thief was not hard, acting as sort of a good cop, while Shadow was, well, I think you can guess. I was a quick learner, although they told me a few things that I'd have to do to be an agent. And some of those things made me betray myself, throwing away pieces of the way I lived. But I was young, I was foolish, and I thought that this was what I wanted.

To be an agent, I had to cut the jawing when undercover. No one-liners? No wit? Not even poking a little fun at my new superiors? I did that once in a training session, when Rouge scolded me and said that I had a big ego. I replied that it wasn't as big as the two things in front of her. I can still feel the pain from the boot marks she put into me. She had me by the throat, and probably would have finished me off too, but Shadow bailed me out that _one_ time. I never smart-mouthed her ever again on the job again after that day. And I thought it was only Amy who could've been the one girl that could've made me physically hurt (with her over-sized hammer).

I had to stick to the rules of stealth (easy enough), grace (please, I had that and more), finesse, new fighting techniques, discipline, restraint, improving my improvising skills. But after two months, I was deemed ready for action. It felt great to be sent around the world on missions, some even with Rouge and/or Shadow, save the world, save people, and enjoy being a spy, even if the entire world already knew who I was. But that worked into my favor whenever I had others teamed up with me who would do the work, while I distracted the masses. And as much as I hate to say it, I'd be lying if I didn't say that it was nice to actually be paid for saving innocent lives, rather than do it out of the bottom of my heart, which I'll still do anyway.

As the months went on, reality slapped me square across the face, and it stung more than a swing of Amy's hammer, or another kick from Rouge's lethal high-heel boots. Ten months into my G.U.N. service, my contact with my friends slowed up. Don't get me wrong, when I was on leave I would see people like Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and the Chaotix, but I could only talk to Amy on the phone. Evidently, she was pretty sad when I went to work for G.U.N., and she had her own job now working in a daycare alongside Cream. So I couldn't see everyone, but I made it my mission to at least keep in touch on the phone.

The longer I was at G.U.N., the more and more I threw myself into work, climbing higher and higher up the "corporate ladder". Leave-time was far and in between, though I still kept phone contact with everyone. Anytime I got done with a big mission, I would get called into Central City, the United Federation (U.F.) capital city, and get to meet and be awarded by the U.F. President, a man named Maximilian Joseph Titus.

Now Titus was elected the same year I started working for G.U.N. The guy was great and all (on paper), but I really did not need to be awarded and given a handshake every time I successfully completed a mission. Not saying that he wasn't great, but the man with the blue silk suit, white undershirt, shiny gold silk tie, and well-coifed brown hair was acting more of a fan-boy towards me whenever I got to meet him, but I digress.

As I was saying, after I was in for a year, things started to fall apart. Sure, on missions, I was able to keep my ego in check, and would only let it loose when it was over or I had down time, but then I lost my first teammate in the field: an older agent named Cyrus. A month later, another one named Jonathan, and then the first woman teammate that I lost, Jaime.

Even though their deaths were not my fault, I still felt horrible about it. I don't often get hooked on something from the past, but I saw them die. All three of them. Cyrus bled out on the operating table when he was rushed out of the line of fire, Jonathan sacrificed himself so the rest of us could get out cleanly while he took a bomb for us, and Jaime died in my arms after she was shot in the stomach. I had worked with all three of them on missions in the past, and I could call them more than teammates and partners. They were my friends, well-respected among the agent fraternity, and now… gone. Three funerals where I saw the U.F. flag atop their coffins, folded up, and given to their families. I still feel responsible for their deaths. I feel as if I could have done something different, or maybe just have been a bit faster, or let go of my cockiness, but no, they told me that there was nothing that I could've done. I tried to believe them, even saw counselling within the organization, got advice from my friends, but their deaths still linger, even to this day, hanging on my soul like child to its mother. They will always be my friends, teammates, and to me, my fault. Rest in peace.

Their deaths changed me. I looked at myself in the mirror, and I could not stand to see the man who stood there. I was disappointed with what I had become. I left everything behind, I second-guessed myself on a regular basis, I wasn't the happy-go-lucky hedgehog I used to be, but my closest friends in the game, Shadow and Rouge, understood my problems. They had lost people too on missions, almost losing each other whenever they were partnered-up on missions, with or without me. I guess I was spoiled in the sense that for every adventure I had leading up to my time with G.U.N. that I had never lost a teammate or friend in action. Now I was getting an unhealthy dose of reality. People die, and I could not save everyone, even though I wished so badly that I could.

I didn't know how they could keep going on when they've seen more people lost in the line of duty for a longer period of time. I had to give Shads and Rouge credit; they were more committed to their government jobs than I could ever be. I knew that they could both be colder people when the situation called for it, but I wasn't them. I would never be them. Hell, I wasn't myself. I wasn't the same. I had no attitude, I had little time with my friends, and I was feeling more and more depressed as the days went on.

Then it hit me. I needed to see all of my friends. Every last one of them. To try and capture my past self, to have fun, to live, to cherish every waking moment with them, because I then knew that life could end at the snap of a finger. So when Rouge and Knuckles were going to be married, and Knuckles asked if I would be his best man, I had to take the chance. It was perfect! All of us would be together to celebrate a happy union and be happy, even if for only one day. I had to see them again. I had to have a good time.

So I asked for two weeks leave. The Commander heard of my situation, and felt that it would be just what the doctor ordered. I even told him that I was thinking about getting out of the game; that it wasn't my place. He told me that this lifestyle was not for everyone, and was surprised to see me, a hero who loved the freedom of others as much as his own, take orders for as long as I did. So he granted me leave, _one month_. I told him that there was no guarantee that I would return, and would ask my friends what I should do. He was professional enough to understand that sentiment, and I appreciated it.

I had to see them. I had to figure out who I was. I had to cherish them like we were all going to die at a moment's notice. I had to see them. I just had to. But most importantly, I had to find the person I gave up on, whom I had betrayed, taking everything he had ever believed in, and deserted him for something else. I had to find that person, and tell him that I was sorry, and forgive him. But with everything that had happened, how was I going to forgive myself?

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

 _(Forgot to insert this part for the version of this story)_

 _With this being my first (published) fan-faction, you'll have to bear with me as I am just starting to show my work._

 _With that said, all Sonic-characters belong to the respective owners (SEGA, Archie Comics, etc.), while Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson are my own characters._

 _I must stress this part, though. This story was inspired by an unfinished 3-part SonAmy fan-fiction that was never finished, and Chapter 6 is more or less what the actual unfinished story was about (I just wanted to flush it out more). I will say this to get it out of the way: the story which this story is based on is not mine and I do not and will not take credit for the original. I cannot say the story I adapted, only because I cannot for the life of me find it in the recesses of DeviantArt. While talking about giving credit where credit is due, there will be times where i will put an entire song into a chapter. I will not take claim to those songs either, and I will give you an artist and song in the description, if i do not site within the story._

 _This first chapter is more of a prologue more than anything else. For the majority of the story, the story will be told in Sonic's point of view. It will change to other character's perspectives, and in the story, I will tell you when. I will usually upload a new chapter every week, or 2 chapters in a week if I am feeling generous. It'll only be a matter of remembering to upload them. There will be 24 chapters split into 2 12-chapter parts._

 _In addition to this chapter being a prologue of sorts, I will go ahead and say that this universe is a mesh of the main series of Sonic games and a few of its spin-offs (that some fans will count as canon to the series) and the Sonic Underground universe. Think of it as this. Sonic, Manic, and Sonia are all separated shortly after their births (as happens in the TV series). Sonic, on his own and after being raised by his adoptive Uncle Chuck, thwarts the evil-doings of Dr. Robotnik/Eggman (who has the entire world under his control at this point) is enslaving animals to expand on his army as shown from the 1991 Sonic game. Shortly after that, he continues his crusade to end the doctor's global reign includes meeting up with his siblings, eventually defeating the doctor shortly after, and putting their mother, Aleena, back on the throne, where she still stands as the world's queen, and other countries are under her in a peaceful reign, but certain countries can be in large, allied groups, such as the United Federation (Spagonia, Adabat, Chun-nan from Unleashed are examples of members in the alliance). To get back on track, after Aleena takes the throne once again, the events of all the other games happen (Sonic 2, 3 & Knuckles, CD, etc.). Outside of a few things I used from Archie (the N.I.D.S., Guardian Mountain, and the G.U.N. Commander's name in the comics, etc.), there will be no references to characters like Sally Acorn, Rotor the Walrus, Scourge the Hedgehog, and others._

 _This description's getting long, so I had better hurry this up. As far as fan-couples are concerned, there are 5 in this story, although some couples will be showed off more than others. The couples are Sonic & Amy (as the story suggests), Knuckles & Rouge, Shadow & Maria, Tails & Cream, and Silver & Blaze. _

_Finally, there will be some chapters where sexual, mature, and violent is prevalent, and i will do my best to put a filter on chapters that needed to have a "Mature Content Filter" on it. With all that said, I hope you enjoy SonAmy: Affairs of State._


	2. 2: He Liked Her, so He Put a Ring on It

**Ch. 2: He Liked Her, so He Put a Ring on It**

 _***Sonic's first-hand POV***_

Marriage. Never thought about it much. Never thought I'd be playing a part in one. When I did think about it, it was only because Amy forced the issue down my throat… so it was pretty much every time we saw each other. Was it wrong to say that I missed her saying that? No, maybe it wasn't her all too frequent proposals, but maybe just seeing her on a regular basis.

And speaking of seeing people on a regular basis, I can't wait to see all of the old gang again! I feel like running around the world a few hundred because I'm so excited! Whoa, clam down Sonic, if you keep that attitude and unnatural cheeriness up, you'll start acting like Amy. And to think, we're all getting together for a wedding. Maybe weddings aren't a bad thing after all. Man, I am acting like Amy. Okay Sonic, calm down, take a few breaths, clear your mind, relax, lose yourself in your calmness. Ah, there we go. What was I thinking about again? Oh, right; Knuckles' and Rouge's hitching session.

When Knuckles contacted me a few days before me getting my leave to be the best man, and on a somewhat short notice at that, I felt honored, but nervous too. Sure, it wasn't my own marriage, but as the best man, I had a lot of important responsibilities. No fooling around with the bridesmaids, making sure I had the ring at the time of when it was needed, planning a bombing bachelor party, and making an embarrassing speech. Thankfully with Knuckles, considering he embarrasses himself on a regular basis, embarrassing would be as easy as taking a nap.

Bridesmaid tomfoolery was already out the window. Rouge would only have two bridesmaids, Maria and Cream. Fooling with Cream? If that happened, you might as well write "pedophile" on my forehead with a red permanent marker. And Maria? Well, Shadow wasn't too happy that Rouge and Knux were having the groomsmen and bridesmaid have a little dance after Rouge and Knux would have their time in the dancing spotlight… and that I was tabbed to dance with Maria. I'm convinced that Shadow would have me in a sniper rifle's crosshairs on me during the entire dance, and if I so much as missed a step, it'd be curtains for me.

What surprised me the most about this wedding was that the only person I knew that so hell-bent on having one wasn't one of Rouge's bridesmaids, much less not even being able to attend the ceremony. I'll have to remember to ask why Rouge didn't include her. Sure, they weren't all that fond of each other when they first met, but nowadays, they could have been as close as sisters, not as much as Amy and Cream, but definitely a close second.

XXXXXXX

Well, it was the day before the ceremony would be going down, and I knew what that meant: final rehearsals and the subsequent dinner. It was too early in the morning to be doing this kind of thing. Last night was the bachelor party, and it was great and all, a time I needed so desperately with the guys, but damn… the beer poured a little too smooth last night. Thank God that Tails couldn't drink yet, because I knew that we wouldn't have made it back to a grounded Angel Island if not for Tails' great piloting skills. I knew he got us out a drunken jam last night. I learned my lesson, never almost start a fight with a dude twice your size, even if I knew several forms of martial arts. I was still plastered… and having a bad hangover to deal with while getting all the final touches done didn't help much either.

As the shrine was getting set up for next afternoon's ceremony, we stood there getting everything right, going through the motions of what the church service would have happen. As it turned out, several G.U.N. agents were going to be at the wedding, whether as guests or motorboat chauffeurs, getting the guests from the mainland to the grounded island, which was where we were having it, and then back again.

During the faux service, I was surprised to see the person Rouge had asked to give her away at the wedding. I knew that Knuckles' parents died at a young age, and Rouge didn't like talking about her personal life, but I knew why from her file. Her parents abandoned her shortly after her birth. I knew that neither had any parents, more specifically a male parent or future in-law to give her away, so when I saw my boss, the Commander, with his arm around Rouge's I was a bit taken back to say the least, but I knew the two were great friends and colleagues, even outside the agency.

We had to run through the motions a total of five times, not including the time that I sneezed accidentally, only to get an earful from Rouge, considering we were at the time of vow exchanging, specifically Rouge's. Jeez, batgirl, calm down, the ceremony isn't until tomorrow! We could afford to make a mistake! THAT'S WHY WE WERE DOING THIS A FEW TIMES!

After the walkthroughs were completed, I was finally able to ask my question for Rouge.

"Hey Rouge, I was just wondering… why didn't you include Amy in this wedding?"

"My! Is Big Blue sad to see that his crush won't be here?" The way she said it irked me off. She meant to say it like that. To show her how much I didn't like her sarcastic response, I face-palmed myself, tapping my right index finger against my forehead, while shaking my head too.

"First off, it's the other way around. Second, please just answer the question."

"Someone sounds a little crabby today. By the look in your eyes, I can see you're still fighting a hangover, aren't you?" Noooooo… really? Can you tell?!

"I was just wondering why Ames isn't involved," I said wanting an answer.

"Calm down, Sonic, I'm just pushing your buttons." Consider them pushed. "Amy couldn't get off of work at that daycare, so she won't be able to make it to the ceremony, so she'll be coming by later during the reception."

"Oh. Well that sucks."

"Yeah, and she also won't be here for the rehearsal dinner tonight."

"Wait, why?"

"Because it wouldn't make sense for her to come here for something like the dinner, spend the night here like the rest of us and the guests are doing, go back to the mainland for her job, and then come back. She's not a part of the wedding or dinner tonight because it would too much of a hassle to move her around all the time."

She made a good point, and her reasoning was easy to follow. "You're right. It does seem like a hassle. Well, that clears that up, so thanks Rouge, I'll see you at the dinner tonight."

"Yeah, see you there too. And Blue?"

"Yeah, Rouge?"

"Don't sneeze during the ceremony tomorrow. YOU'LL REGRET IT IF YOU DO." Somehow, I believed every word she said.

XXXXXXX

The afternoon sun began to wind down, leaving a scarlet and orange sky without a single cloud. The shrine that held the master emerald was where the magic was going happen. Knuckles stood atop the shrine where the gem rested, and the preacher stood beside him, anxious as the rest of us. How Knuckles was able to power down the emerald so that the island wouldn't float with it still on the island is something I'll never understand. I guess being its guardian had its little perks.

Knuckles stood like myself and Tails with a black silk suit, white undershirt, polished black shoes, and black bowtie. Tails looked dashing too, and when I first saw myself earlier with the same kind of tux on… DAMN, I LOOKED GOOD. I had to respect the tailors that made this suit for me. It was nice, it fit great, and it was all on G.U.N.'s dime, considering I had used this chick magnet on more than one undercover op. It was easy to breathe in; there was no sign of tightness, just a great and snug fit. And it conformed to the slight muscle gain that I experienced that still hung around, even after Shadow and Rouge had pushed me to my physical limits training me. Yeah, I looked sharp. I only wished that if I did get married one day, I could wear this. But no, since I was a prince after all, I'd have to get married in my goofy royal outfit. Good grief, I hate that thing! It's bad enough that I had to sit down and debate with the family about the kingdom's political positioning, but that white suit, that odd crown… I think it'd be easier if my… why did I not think of that sooner? Just make me another royal outfit only in black! I'd look better in it anyway. I'll have to remember to talk to mom about that… if I get locked up, that is. My dream ceremony would be like Knux and Rouge's. Out in the open, only close friends, away from the hustle and bustle on Mobotropolis. Yeah, that sounds much better. But still, that's a pretty big "if".

The bridesmaids were dressed in light purple dresses with matching shoes. I had to admit that both Cream and Maria looked pretty.

The shrine itself had red and white ribbons hanging down and across the pillars of the temple, to commemorate the red echidna and the white bat. Down a few steps were my friends. To my right side sat the many people I had shared adventures with ever since I was a young lad. Blaze, Silver, Vector, Charmy, Espio, Shadow, Vanilla (who had Cream's pet Chao, Cheese, with her), Big, E-123 Omega (still wondering why they needed to invite a robot to a wedding), Marine, Jet, Wave, Storm, my sister Sonia, my brother Manic, and my mother Queen Aleena. And no Amy. I still think that I'm crazy for not liking the fact that Amy was not here. If there was anyone who should have been at a wedding, whether it was hers or not, it should be Amy.

The left side was nothing but G.U.N. agents, all of which I knew on a first name basis. They had the same amount of guests as those on my right minus one. That last two would be the G.U.N. Commander and the flower girl. There was one agent I didn't account for: the minister. He was still one, despite being more of a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. Heck, he's helped me out on more than one occasion. His name was Mackenzie or "Mack" for short.

As I looked back at Knuckles, he began to sweat, looking more scared than I would be whenever Amy would scream my name and give me a vise-grip-like hug from years ago.

I leaned over and whispered to him, "Calm down, Knuckles. She'll come out when the time's right."

"Easy for you to say," he whispered back. "You're not the one getting married!"

"Ease up, champ. Take a deep breath and let it out. It'll be alright."

"That's twice you've talked to me and not ripped on me. Are you sure you're the Sonic I knew?"

I was ready to retaliate with a one-liner, but Tails subtly elbowed me to get my attention. From a rock past the guests, I saw a hand signal go up and the pianist strike up the usual wedding processional. A young agent named Claire was the flower girl, leaving rose petals of white and red on the aisle that intersected the two groups.

And then she came out. As the congregation arose, the Commander took her by her left arm, and Rouge was adorned in a pure white that matched her natural white fur. The bouquet which she held was filled with two dozen roses. One dozen red and one dozen white, mixed together very nicely. Her dress was not as low-cut as her usual garb was, a definite positive in my book. The dress itself had very short sleeves, only going to her shoulders. On her arms were white satin gloves that encompassed her forearms. I could not see her back yet, but it was obvious to me that it had to have been backless to account for her black wings.

I had to give her credit. She looked like a knockout. I wasn't going to deny that she was beautiful. Any guy attending the ceremony, save for the minister and Commander, probably wished they could take her home. The fact that she wasn't as low-cut with her dress was maybe the biggest thing change in her. For her, this was conservative, and this time it suited her well. In all honesty, I was waiting for some idiot guy to wolf whistle at her… and then get stabbed in the neck by Rouge with her white high-heels, but there was already enough red in the wedding.

The commander walked her up the old stairs, stopping one step from the top level, which had the master emerald in the background. He looked her and gave her a nod, and she gave him a hug, shedding a single tear without ruining her mascara and the violet eye shadow that replaced the usual ocean blue. He hugged her back, but broke it off to head to down the stairs to his seat. From there, the white bat, with the a thin white veil covering her face, stood face-to-face with my old friend, who put his right hand up to his mouth. I guess he was the most taken with how she looked. I couldn't say that I was too surprised.

As Mack led the service, we all watched as Knuckles and Rouge became closer and closer to commitment for life. No one objected, thankfully. The last thing we needed was either of the two soon-to-be-newlyweds to get angry mid-service. The vows were said, and it came time for me to shine.

"Do you have the ring?" asked Mack. Knuckles turned around to me, smiling as he did it. I nodded to both of them, taking the ring out of my pocket, giving it to Knuckles. The ring itself was golden, but it was adorned with a small sliver of the Master Emerald, carefully cut to shine like a diamond. She was getting both of the things she wanted the most: Knuckles and the Master Emerald. Two birds, one stone. Hehe, stone, jewel, wedding ring. Wedding humor. He carefully slipped it on, and it shined, as did the Master Emerald. Knuckles had something to do with that no doubt. And he called me the show-off…

Maria then gave Rouge the ring for her new husband. He had to lose his left glove to get it on. After all these years, never before had I ever seen Knuckles without one of his white mitts on. I never knew he had odd bumps underneath them. I guess his namesake fit well.

With the exchanging done, the preacher wrapped it all up, dubbing my old friend a husband, and my G.U.N. mentor his wife. With a "You may kiss the bride," they both went in for the kiss, but they forgot something.

"Ahem, Knuckles?" They both glared at me. Rouge looked like she going to commit bloody murder. "The veil?" They both relaxed, even chuckling at their obliviousness. Knuckles threw in a "duh" for good measure. He turned back to her, lifting the veil, and brought her in for one hell of a kiss.

As they continued, I led the masses in a slow clap, which they all went along with until everyone was joined in. When they stopped, they looked at all their guests. They were as happy as there were that they had tied the knot. The women cried, the men whistled in celebration, Tails and I gave Knux a pat on the back, and the biggest surprise? Shadow cracked a smile. Now that was worth the price of admission. Sadly, it left before I could snap a picture of it, but I saw it and that was what mattered. I'll have to remember to give him grief for it later.

This was a happy day after all. As I looked as the newlyweds descended the stone staircase past their friends and guests, the only thing to register was that that Knuckles was one lucky son of a gun… and I hope he knew what he was getting into.

XXXXXXX

I distinctly remembered the meal from the rehearsal dinner from the previous night. G.U.N. was a big part of this wedding (even taking care of the reception's catering), but never before had I tasted such an excellent meal from them! Last night… the beef tips in gravy, mashed potatoes with hits of garlic, chives, and melted butter, the dinner rolls, the candied ham, the green beans with almond slivers… I could only hope that we got such an excellent dining experience two nights in a row.

When everyone filed into the large tent, I saw the big food spread on the right wall. I was revving up and let loose… only to realize I wasn't going anywhere. And for some reason, it felt like someone was grabbing my… HEY WAIT A MINUTE! WHO'S TOUCHING ME BACK THERE?! AND WHY AM I AIRBOURNE?! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON… oh, it was just Tails. The little devil caught me by my tail and had me a good two feet off the ground.

"Sonic," he started, "you can wait until the guests of honor are here first."

"But I'm hungry!"

"IF YOU TOUCH A SINGLE SPEC OF FOOD, I'M TURNING YOU INTO A FUR COAT, HEDGEHOG!" Tails and I looked dumbstruck at each other. How the hell did Rouge hear us?! Oh; right. I forgot; women can hear EVERYTHING.

XXXXXXX

The guests were all inside the expansive tent as we gathered outside. I could see it all. The numerous guests, the tables which they sat at, the collages of Knucklehead and Rouge on the left wall of the tent, the expansive food platter along the right wall, and on the farthest part was another higher level (the stage) where I would be eating soon enough… that is if Rouge and Knux would hurry up! I know that she helped me become more patient in training, but jeez, they were taking FOREVER. Did Rouge's hair get wrecked? Were they off someplace sucking each other's faces off? Oh, god, now that's something I'll never want to picture again.

"Oh, finally!" I said with impatience. They simply strolled up casually, with Tails, Cream, Maria, and yours truly just glaring at them. "Where were you two?!"

"Best not ask questions you don't want to hear the answer to, Blue," Knuckles responded. He was right, I didn't want to know, but I think my guess was right on the money.

"We ready?" asked the usher.

As if on cue, we all said, "YES!"

I took Maria's arm, Tails took Cream's, and the newlyweds grabbed each other's, and we started to make our way into the tent, where we were greeted to a standing ovation and a round of hearty applause. I had to take my walk slowly, not rush it, because if I did, Maria would get upset, Shadow would get violent because I made Maria upset, and Rouge would drop-kick me into the nearby ocean.

We ascended the small staircase as the newlyweds too their seat as the middle of the table. From my left it was Cream, Maria, Rouge, Rocks-for-brains, Tails and then myself. I was tossed a microphone to start out the reception with 6:34 on the clock.

"Thank you all again for coming out tonight," I started. "Oops, forgot to turn this stupid piece of tech on." The crowd got in a chuckle as I flipped it on, only to get an earful of feedback. Thankfully, the pain was temporary and I restarted. "Can you hear me now?"

"Yes."

"Wow, you guys in the crowd seem very enthused to hear me talk." There we go, now I got 'em laughing. "Alright, guys, now I'd like to start off by saying 'congratulations' to the newlyweds! Knux, Rouge, stand on up!" Thank God that they did it, otherwise the situation would be more awkward then I've already made it for them.

As the crowd began to die down, and they all took their seats again, I spoke up. "Before I start embarrassing these guys, I personally want to congratulate you two on this achievement. Now that the pleasantries are over, it's time to start roasting these two… and by 'two' I mean I'll mostly be roasting Knuckles because he deserve it more… and I don't want to give my G.U.N. superior over here a reason to open fire on me." Knuckles and Rouge shook their heads and then looked at me intently, giving me a signal of 'bring it on'. I was going to enjoy this.

"Now when Knuckles first asked me to be the best man for his wedding, I thought he was crazy. Him? Married? To Rouge?! Rouge, I don't know what you saw in the guy outside of that over-sized rock at that shrine of his…" I let the crowd give an "ooh" as I looked to the couple. Knux looked like he was going to end me right here at his reception, while Rouge had left arm supporting her head, looking me, smiling at me, then shaking her head. "Knux, this is the kind of mayhem you get when you make me the best man. I'm the best man. I'm supposed to make fun of you guys and embarrass you! You sit back down and take it like a man! You should know how to do that! Lord knows Rouge makes you take it like a man already!" The crowd laughed again, while Rouge calmed Red down with a kiss on the cheek. "Is that what guys were doing earlier? Is that why you guys were late coming in?" Another "ooh" came from the spectators as they simply looked away and blushed.

"But as I was saying, when Knucklehead over here wanted me to the best man, I was stunned that we was getting hitched in the first place, and judging by how uncomfortable he is, he's probably regretting his decision. Not the first time he's made a bad one though, his most recent one notwithstanding. To spell it out so Knuckles can follow, it means that outside of your guys' decision to get married, Knuckles has made some bad decisions. Popular examples include, but are not limited to getting tricked by Eggman, thinking he could beat me in a fight, getting tricked by Eggman, tabbing me as the best man, getting tricked by Eggman…" As I surveyed the room again, Knuckles rolled his eyes, and the crowd got onto my joke. "But in all seriousness, Knux, Rouge, I'm happy for you two. I honestly am. I may be able to joke around with you guys, but you know that I still think the world of you, and I really do want you guys to be happy together. The way I see it, Knuckles got the girl of his dreams, if not every man's dreams…" I saw Rouge smiling smugly shaking her head as another laugh was chalked up for me. "And Rouge, you got the two most important things to you: Knuckles, and that over-sized green stone of his." There's another laugh from the crowd. "That reminds me, Knuckles, that piece of rock on Rouge's ring, is that piece of the Master Emerald?" They both nodded. "Well no wonder the island's been grounded; you broke the stupid thing again."

In the midst of their laughter, I caught a whiff of the nearby food and realized something. "I just realized something folks, the faster I get done with this, the fast we can eat, so without further ado… um, Tails, where's my glass of champagne?" The crowd now laughed at my incompetence as Tails handed me a glass. "Here's to the… wait, Tails, did you empty this?!" He shrugged his shoulders, but that cocky smile that he inherited from me told the story. "Tails, I'm the best man, I crack the jokes here. Not you." I turned to see a snickering crowd. "Hold on a sec." I blasted away for a split second, stirring up the wind and a few ladies' dresses, but as for why I didn't look up them is now a case of an opportunity well-wasted.

"What a waste of quality champagne," I said into the mic. "Tails, I know that you can't drink, but that doesn't give you the right to make sure that none of us get to either! But now that I have a glass of bubbly, I would like to propose a toast." I raised my new glass of bubbly as everyone in the tent did so too. "To the good times I know you'll have, the adventures you'll embark on, the fights, the ups, the downs, the whole nine yards of a relationship such as this, here's to you and many years of happy marriage. 'Til death do you part, which for you, Knuckles, has already happened. TO KNUCKLES AND ROUGE!"

"TO KNUCKLES AND ROUGE!" they responded. As they did, we all took a big slug of the drinks we had on hand.

"Now, it's tradition for the happy couple to have the first dance of the night… so Knuckles? Rouge? If you move on down to the dance floor please." They did so as he took her by the hand, and as they stepped onto the dance floor, we applauded for them as the band began to play.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Alright, here's Chapter 2. For the record, I have been keeping tabs on the first chapter and I'm honored that people are looking at it and reading and giving me positive feedback on the material (or at least you are guys on , that is). With that said, I just want to say "thank you" for that._

 _Now, odds are if you're reading this, you've probably gotten done with the chapter, and a few of you might be thinking that there isn't one instance of Sonic and Amy interacting. If you're one of those people, then keep calm. The next chapter will have Sonic and Amy interactions. I guarantee it. And another thing, If you see and "XXXXXXX" in the text, that means that a passage of time has occurred._

 _Before I leave you again, I should point out that next week I'll be uploading 2 chapters. The reason? Chapters 3 and 4 were originally meant to be one chapter before I split it up. Those chapters will probably be uploaded next Tuesday. In the meantime, have a happy 4th of July (if you're an American)._

 _All characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA._


	3. 3: Irony Has Never Been Lovelier

**Ch. 3: Irony Has Never Been Lovelier**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

The city was in shambles as I stood there with all my friends. First, we all had to take on some of the most dangerous things we had ever faced, and they were all in one place. The Death Egg Robot, Perfect Chaos, the Biolizard, Metal Sonic as the Metal Overlord, the Egg Salamander, the Egg Wizard, Perfect Dark Gaia, the Time Eater, and the Deadly Six. They were all here, and my friends and I were cornered. They all waited, waiting for one of us to move so they could gang up on us. Then they appeared, surrounding me in their distinctive seven colors. The gems of miracles, the Chaos Emeralds. They began to encircle me faster and faster as I felt a rush of energy build and build. Then like a firework, I exploded with a bright shine of gold, hovering in the air. "Time to go to work," I said.

My friends all knew I had this under control, and within minutes, they were all down for the count. Death Egg Robot? Limbless after the 12th hit. Perfect Chaos? Neutralized. Biolizard? Weightless in orbit. Metal Overlord? Ready for the junk pile. Egg Salamander? Extinct. Egg Wizard? Non-existent like fiction. Dark Gaia? Burning in hell. Time Eater? Erased from existence. The Deadly Six? Gone in puff of smoke.

Then it all got weird. What was Station Square was now a field, miles of which were fruit groves. My friends had all vanished, and I raced through the fields to find them. I could see every last kind of fruit you could imagine. Cherries, bananas, oranges, grapes, cantaloupe, watermelons, papayas, mangos, lemons, grapefruits, limes, apples, pineapples, blackberries, redcurrants, blueberries, raspberries, and pears. But the one I craved the most and searched I saw in the distance, high as mountains, and with someone atop of them. Strawberries.

The figure was a female. I could tell that by the figure, but her face was a mystery. I was still too far away to see that. As I ran closer, she seemed to run away, very quickly at that. She had to have been going as fast I was. I began my ascent of the mountainous berry. As I began to close the gap, the sweet aroma grew stronger. Was it because she smelled like strawberries too? What was it that caused the heavenly odor to become more pungent? I got a good look at the feminine figure, but the sheer sight of her shocked me, awaking me from my slumber.

How long was I out? I remembered getting my food and going off to a corner of the tent (after I spent an hour or four catching up with my friends) to eat my second helping of prime rib in peace, as well as sautéed mushrooms, a small salad with Thousand Island dressing, and a fruit salad topped with too much whipped cream. I remember that the fruit salad was heavy on the strawberries. Perhaps that was why I dreamt of them.

By the looks of it, the party was still going on strong. A sick party atmosphere had taken over the wedding reception as I saw the happy couple having time of their lives, as well they should be. But then they were done, going off of the dance floor, sitting down near more of my friends, laughing and sipping on beer, which was now the spirit of choice because we ran out of champagne.

It was nice to get a nice nap in, but what had awoken me? The strawberries? That reminded me that I should get some more of that stuff, minus the whipped topping. That is, if there was any left. But as I started to rise, a something, or some _one_ , caught my eye, someone who I did not remember at last night's dinner, the ceremony, or earlier in the night. Thanks to the schizophrenic, rave-style lightshow of the tent as well as my less-than-stellar angle, her face was a mystery, putting me in a similar position that I had found subconsciously just a moment ago.

She was heading towards my friends. There was enough light where I could see the rest of her though, and I loved it. She wore a jade-green dress that hugged her figure enough for me to see all of her curves. The outfit ended in the middle of her thighs, showing off her very toned and attractive legs. They were long and slender, covered in some sort of light red color (probably her fur), and topped off with high heels the same color of her dress. Whoever the goddess was, she was the walking definition of the phrase, "treat your body like a temple".

Finally, the dress was a spaghetti-strapped one with a white strap. In fact, there were white elements on her dress that I had completely missed, on the top of the outfit, as well as the bottom of her skirt. And the headband she wore to cap it off matched the dress, much like her high heels.

Whoever this girl was, she obviously knew my friends, and well at that. It was right there that I'd fallen in love with a naturally gifted and very beautiful girl. But her identity was still a mystery. Maybe I could lucky enough for her to turn her head all the way. I would move, but I was too entranced by this piece of heaven-on-Mobius to even have my trademark legs move as little as an inch.

Please, I have to know! Who are you?! Wait… white striping at the top and bottom of her dress, a matching headband, and a light red fur color? No… it couldn't be. There's only _one_ person I know who dresses like that, but there's no way! No way in heaven or hell! Please turn your head and look in my general direction, oh beautiful woman! Please, my eyes are begging to you! Please!

Then she did.

NO… NO… NO… FREAKING… WAY. HOW?! HOW?! HOW?! THIS COULDN'T BE HER!

But those eyes, those glistening, jade green eyes. I was now the poster-child for irony. It was Amy. Amy Rose, the girl who obsessed over me and now I was obsessing about her. When I last saw her, she looked the same since we met back up accidentally when Eggman wanted to destroy Station Square, just taller… and more beautiful. But now… oh, God, thank you for making me a man! Thank you!

I could feel my eyes grow bigger and bigger by the second. I had the hardest time thinking straight. My name was now "Irony" as I said to myself that I had fallen in love with this girl as she walked away, but it was Amy. It was Amy Rose. If I could just walk up to her… oh, wait… my legs are still frozen in shock.

I cannot believe that I badly want her. _Her._ Was this some cruel joke? No, because I'd recognize those beautiful eyes anywhere. I had always thought her eyes were the best thing about her, save maybe for her constant positive personality, but I now realized that her eyes complemented her face very well. Now I couldn't stop looking at her face. Her button nose that made mine look like a tower upon comparison, her gentle and thin lips, and her cute, cheesy smile that showed off her pearl-white teeth. The three quills that sprouted from her forehead, acting as bangs, had also grown longer, as did her main quills, now hanging down to the middle of her ribcage.

I propped my right arm up on a nearby table to support my head as I must continue to look at the angel on the other side of the tent, no doubt with a dumb-looking face. My god, why hadn't I seen her like this before? The perfect eyes, body, face, eyes, hair, legs, eyes, dress, eyes, eyes, and eyes. I could feel myself crack a stupid, love-struck smile. I could feel it being the exact same smile I had caught her shooting at me, only to hide it when I turned her way.

I knew that she had just turned nineteen no more than a month ago. She was of age. I looked around feverishly for Mackenzie, hoping he had not left yet, to make her lifelong dream come true, and satisfy my new want. No dice. He had probably left with most of the agent/guests, including the Commander, who was gone too. Why am I looking around when I should be looking at Amy? Right. Back to Amy.

Perfection. Was I in love with her? Yeah… I am not going to waiver from my decision. I lusted to see her every day, caress her adorable pink face, and then kiss it. I wanted to kiss her so badly. I know that I would want more, but if I would die tonight, I would want that at the very least.

Was this how she viewed me? Who am I kidding? Of course it was. The irony kept banging around in my head in the same way that Manic would bang on a drum set. I wish I could go back and kick myself in my egotistical little butt for not going up to her sooner. I just hoped that she still loved me. I knew now that I could return the favor. How long was I sitting here like a moron? My legs could kick back into gear any time now!

My friends all returned to the dance floor or to the bar, so I had my chance to go to her! Hello! Legs? Move!

Wait, who's _that_ guy?! What's he saying to her?! Let me focus my hearing...

"No, please, I'm good. Really, I am!" she said. I could sense her fear. This trick I learned from Shadow was finally getting some good use.

"C'mon, a beautiful girl like you should have at least one dance in her, right?" the pushy man asked. I knew him too. He was an agent named Benjamin the Fox, a real womanizer in the offices.

"No! May _I_ have a dance?" another asked, named Salazar the 'Coon. Not "Raccoon". He wanted to be called the "'Coon" like Cartman in South Park.

"No. But thanks anyway!" Her voice was rising in fear and annoyance. Legs, you could wake up now!

"Why would want to dance with these posers?" Great… Tarek the Squirrel? Seriously? You're married! Wait, now Jordy the Dog too? Legs! Wake up!

"Please, could you all leave me alone?!" They kept hounding her, and the fire within me, fueled with jealousy and anger, had freed my legs, thawing them from being frozen in my own fear.

"May I have this dance? I may?! Well thanks, Amy!" I said quickly as I had rushed to her.

"Wait, whoooooa!" I grabbed her hands and pulled her out of the messy situation before she could think straight enough to potentially deny me. But I knew her better than that. As I looked back, the group of four were dumbstruck and trying to put the pieces together on what I had just done. However, because I acted so quickly, I doubted if they realized it was me at first.

I ran out to the dance floor and put my right hand on her slender back, her left arm around my neck, and our remaining hands together, clenched together, finger-to-finger away from our bodies as began waltzing with her.

"Hey! I said I-!" She cut herself off as her anger passed like a gust of wind. When she got a good look at my emerald green eyes, I could feel her anger slip away too. "S-Sonic?" That's my name, don't wear it out. "That was you?!"

I had to chuckle. "Yep. I saw you in a tough spot; thought I'd help you out." Say you'll marry me. Kiss me, at the very least. God, I was grateful my legs could move again, and now I can stare at her pretty face at a much closer distance because of them.

"W-Well, thanks." Her nervous smile now sent me into a mental frenzy. That's it Ames, never look away at me, I need to see your face, your eyes… tell me you love me.

She was taken back a bit when she realized what we were doing. "Are we dancing?! Are _we_ dancing?! Like _you_ and _me_?!" Yep, she still had it bad for me. I could tell it in her exuberant voice that she was loving this. Now it was only a matter of time until she thought that she was dreaming.

I nodded to answer her question. She looked around frantically, confusing me for a moment, but we kept dancing. "Is this really happening, Sonic? Or am I dreaming?" There it was.

"Well, it sure looks like were dancing." I couldn't resist being cocky with that phrase, as if to point out the obvious. "Are you enjoying this?" I asked as I spun her around, having her back now up against my front with our hands now joined.

"Ye-Yeah, it's just-."

"You never thought you'd see me doing this?" I quipped.

"Well… yeah!" Oh, how I loved being drunk on happiness. Let this never end! Then the music ended.

Oh, come on!

We let loose of each other and stood out on the dance floor, awaiting the next tune. We locked eyes again, and I smiled sheepishly. Then she shot me a confused look. Busted. Did she figure it out that quickly? Did she know that I really liked her now? Was it that obvious? Or am I just playing the stereotype that women just know things?

"Are you alright, Sonic?" What a question! No, I wasn't, but I wanted to keep this feeling of being a love-struck romantic.

"Yeah, I am." I answered, but it came out kinda goofy, like I was _too_ relaxed.

"Are you sure?" No.

"Yes." My thoughts betray me. "Would you care for another dance?" The look she shot me… oh, it was PRICELESS. Her eyes widened, her mouth hung open, and she started to shake lightly.

"You're serious?!" I was having a good enough time just ogling her, but to see her out of her comfort zone was also hilarious.

"As serious as Knux and Rouge were when they said, 'I do'." Okay, maybe that was the wrong line to say to someone who's been asking for hand in marriage since she was eight. Oh, well. C'est la vie.

"Well then…" She put my hands on her waist as she put hers around my neck. I was more than happy to oblige.

The music started up again, and for the first time in my life, I was relieved that it was a slow song, "Love Me like You Do" by Ellie Goulding. I could see others like the newlyweds, Shadow and Maria, Blaze and Silver, as well as myself and Amy slowly spinning around the floor as the song kept playing. I could feel their eyes on both us. I had a bad feeling that my friends were going to give me hell for this, considering I had always said that I'd never be in this situation. Time changes a man. Okay, maybe time wasn't the reason. Maybe it was the way a certain girl looked. Yeah, that's more plausible.

As we progressed, I stared lovingly into her eyes. Come on, Amy Rose, now I'm telling you that I love you. Can't you see it? No, she stood there. Granted she stared back at me too, but I couldn't help but notice in her body language that she was still confused and surprised that this was all happening. Then I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against hers, bowing my head in the process.

She did the same too, bowing her head solemnly as the dance progressed. I learned that I loved holding her. What have I been missing out on? Wait, I hope she didn't have a boyfriend watching me do this. Wait, this was Amy. She wouldn't have another guy in her life but me. And for that, I was grateful.

The song ended. I couldn't remember what was played, nor did I care. I wanted to be with her. I wanted her. I _needed_ her. And we're still dancing even though the music ending. We stopped only because we heard the guys snickering. I saw their faces, and it looked like they were having more fun than mice at a cheese party. The girls all had puppy-dog eyes on, savoring how cute the moment was to them. We both realized how weird it must have looked to them, and we gave out a nervous chuckle at the same time, cementing the deal and making the guys burst out in laughter. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I blushed furiously, and I could see Amy doing the same. Her red muzzle brought about a good color contrast given her getup.

"What?" I asked. "Haven't seen a guy dance with a beautiful lady before?" I regretted saying that, as Amy hugged me all her might when I did. When talking about embarrassment, this was salt in open wound, but I did not mind the pain at all. Hell, it was probably a punishment to me for not doing this sooner. I started to lead her off of the floor with my peers still giggling like school girls, but I was not going to get away as she clung on to me. Her eyes, her wonderful, jade green eyes had me at her mercy, and there was no way of escape. She knew now that I wasn't going to leave her. Not now.

"I need some air. Care to join me, Ames?" She nodded, agreeing that she needed some too. As we walked out, I could hear all my friends chuckling and snickering. With my right arm around Amy's shoulders, I used one specific finger on my free hand to show them how I felt about their heckling. I didn't often call people "#1", but when I did, it was because they deserved it.

When we stepped outside the tent, the nighttime sky was absolutely breath-taking. The stars shined down, trying their best to illuminate the planets that could see them, and the moon was it its last phase, looking an awful lot like the smile from the Cheshire Cat. But we only got a better view of it when we got past the torches that had been placed that led into the tent. And despite the lacking moonlight, there was still enough to shine down on Amy. I could feel myself melt on the inside as I looked at her radiant eyes. I think I loved her eyes more than the rest of her smoking-hot body.

"So, how've you been, Ames?" I asked to cut the silence. "Of all people, I thought you would want to a part of a wedding." She caught onto my little joke, shaking her head as she smiled.

"You know that I outgrew that part of me, Sonic. I'm not always going to be the love-obsessed pinkie that I was."

"Lies. You'll always be that way to me."

"Does that mean that I left an impression?"

"You could say that, and your dress tonight did too. You look amazing."

She chuckled at my true sentiment. "Aww, thanks, Sonic. I really never thought you'd ever say that to me."

"If I may be honest, neither did I, but here we are. You still did not answer my question."

"Only because you got us off that topic and onto weddings. And here I thought with us it was always the other way around!"

Huh. She was right. "Sorry, then. So, how've you been?"

"Alright I guess. Well, almost. I really did want to be here for the wedding, but my boss was having none of it. How Cream got off instead of me is something I'll never know. Maybe it's because she's cuter than me."

"I wouldn't say that, Ames. I think you're the cuter one. Definitely the prettier one."

She looked back up to me with a small smile. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"Only because it's a fact, beautiful."

"Oh, you…" I enjoyed making her bashful. "But how've _you_ been?" Oh, Amy, I wish you didn't ask me that. I wasn't sure if I was thankful or not to hear a few people for us. As I turned around, I saw the same four guys that were coming onto Amy earlier.

"Heeey, you still owe me a dance *HICCUP* you sexy mommmma!" It didn't take Tails' genius to figure out they were wasted beyond all comprehension. I smell sour mash on all of their breaths from here.

"You guys smell like a bottle of black-label whiskey. How much have you been drinking?"

"Enough to know that you're such a fuuuu-freaking womanizer mister 'oh-my-god-it's-Sonic-the-Hedgehog'!" Did you think of that insult all by yourself?

"We didn't like it how you stole her from us!"

"First off, I didn't steal her, I saved her. Secondly, she didn't want to dance with you reprobates in the first place. And third, ONE OF YOU IS MARRIED!"

"Shut up, you animal!" Tarek, you're a squirrel. "Animal" is hardly the word I'd use. "Now if you'll just dance with me…" Michael grabbed her wrist and grabbed it hard. I could easily tell she was in a lot of pain outside of her yelp.

"Get your hands off of me!"

"Not a chance, you hot-looking bi-AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I didn't even feel myself turn Dark. It just happened. I instinctively grabbed his arm, applying much more pressure than he did to her, and squeezed tighter until I heard a slight snap. With that, he released. "My arm!"

"IF YOU'RE SMART, YOU'LL LEAVE HER BE!" I said demonically.

"We aren't afraid of 'Dork' Sonic."

"YOU HURT AMY. YOU SHOULD BE." With Tarek's forearm fractured, he used his other arm to throw a punch. I quickly dodged it and put more pressure on the bad one to break it. His screaming was short-lived as I punched him in the head, knocking him out cold.

Salazar rushed me too, as did Benjamin. Their punches were caught by my two hands as I threw them both into a nearby boulder with my rage-fueled strength. Upon impact, they broke their noses and were K.O.'d. First they were going to wake up with a hangover, and then with a concussion. Either way, it was gonna be one hell of a headache.

Finally, Jordy grabbed me from behind and had me without too much chance to squirm, even if I was Dark. Amy looked on in horror, but I smiled. "Amy, watch me S.I.N.G." She was now horrified and confused. "S, I, N, G. It stands for _Solar plexus_ ," One right elbow with all the fixings crashed into his right hip, " _Instep_ ," one right foot stomping onto his own, breaking a few metacarpals, " _Nose_ ," one left elbow thrown into his big beeper, causing a nosebleed, and finally, my favorite, " _Groin_!" He had released me at this point as I got lower, balled up my right hand into a fist and let him have it, a haymaker right in the baby-maker. His squeal in pain was music to my ears as I saw him lie down holding his family jewels in the fetal position, only to relieve him of his pain by blacking him out with a punch to his temple. I was never a big fan of the movie that the "S.I.N.G." move came from ( _Miss Congeniality_ ), but that one scene in it was priceless.

The four drunks were all out cold on the ground in incredible pain, but too unconscious to feel a thing. I turned off my more twisted side and looked back to her. I really didn't want to do that, and I felt terrible that she had to see that.

"I'm… I'm sorry you had to see that, Amy." For a few seconds she looked around at the wreckage and then back to me, with a frown of disappointment on. I wouldn't blame her if she ran away from me after I did that. But what could I do? I couldn't let them hurt her. But I still could've avoided going Dark.

"Sonic… I'm… thank you!"

"You must hate me right-, wait, what?" Did she say "thank you"?

"Thank you, Sonic! Thank you!" Her hug was a very affectionate one, not like her vise grip hugs from yesteryear. I was more than happy to return it, but I was still trying to connect the dots so-to-speak regarding her reasoning. She let me go and looked at me with a smile on her face. "It looked like you were in control of your Dark-."

"Hold that thought." I said as I put a finger to lips. I zipped away a few times, taking the wreckage of drunken G.U.N. agents to the nearest boat to be ferried away, and then I returned. "Sorry, I had to send 'em packing on the next boat. Now, what were you going to say?"

"When you went Dark, it looked like you were in control of it. Last time I checked, you couldn't, so what happened?"

I didn't want to answer that question, because it would wipe away her positive attitude. I had to admit; she took the senseless beating of four top-tier (albeit drunken) G.U.N. agents by a monster who only came out when he was pissed off into next Tuesday like a champ.

"It's kind of a long story, Ames. Do you mind if we take a walk while I explain?" She nodded and followed me on a path that would take us toward the ocean.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _The description for this chapter can be found in Ch. 4 (that is if you feel so inclined as to read it first)_

 _All characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA._


	4. 4: Jungle Love

**Ch. 4: Jungle Love**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

As we walked, I remained pretty quiet about the whole situation, still feeling really bad about that brief, but violent incident. Whenever I went Dark, it always meant something bad would happen. It was something that had occurred too many times in the last few months. I couldn't look at her pretty face, still feeling like I should exile myself for becoming _that_ right in front of her.

"Sonic?" I slightly turned, but I couldn't look at her face. I… I just couldn't. "Sonic, what's wrong? Does it have to do with the… um… _other_ side of you?" My silence was sustaining, and that was enough for her. "C'mon, Sonic, talk to me." She had had enough, stopping me, grabbing my face and looked me dead in my emerald green eyes. Her silence and concerned frown meant that she still saw my sadness. It must have been killing her to see me so sad. "Sonic, please."

I surveyed our position. We were somewhere on the east side of the island, and I could see the moonlight, or what was left of it, glistening on the surface much like her eyes did. I was not expecting to see a beach here, considering this was a _floating_ island. I sat down and she did so too.

"C'mon, Sonic. Talking about it will make you feel better."

I sighed and then looked at her. "I wish it could make me feel better, Amy. I wish it could."

"What do you mean?" I appreciated her concern.

"Well… it's a long story."

"We've got all night." That we did, and I nodded in response.

Well, here goes.

"When I first started working for G.U.N., they knew that when I was… _angry_ enough, I could go Dark. You know that I only do that if I was really pissed off, but the way they saw it was that through enough self-control and meditation, I'd be able to control it and use it for good." I looked to her, and she had eyes begging me to go on. "I didn't believe them at first, but we went for it anyway. Somehow, someway, we were able to control my bad half. When I was first going on missions, it never needed to come up. I was always cool under pressure, and kept my emotions in check." I paused. She wanted me to continue, but she probably decided that I would need a little support, so she took my right hand with her left and held it. "Thanks, Ames." She nodded with a hearty smile. "But one day, I was paired with an agent named Cyrus. A month later, another named Jonathan. And most recently, a woman named Jaime." When I said a girl's name, she squeezed more, a sign of jealousy. "Don't worry, Amy, she wasn't _that_ kind of a partner. All three of them were great people and great agents. I had all worked with them in the past, whether in the field or otherwise. But all three of them have something in common. They all caused me to go Dark."

"What do you mean?"

"I…I…" Oh, why'd you have to ask me to explain it, Ames? Why? I swallowed a bitterly sad pill of pride and continued. "I mean that they're… they're all dead." She gasped out of shock.

"Sonic, I'm so sorry." I could feel the pain in her voice. I knew she was sorry. "But I don't understand why-."

"How their deaths and my Dark side are connected? Well, I'll tell you. I saw them all die, Amy. All three of them. All on missions. Cyrus was shot in the chest, and we rushed him to a nearby hospital. As I sat in the observation room, watching the doctors try and pull the bullet out, he… he… he lost." She squeezed my hand tighter. "A month later, Jonathan took a bomb for us, sacrificing himself so that the rest of my team could escape. And then a week ago, Jaime was shot in the stomach. I got her out of the line of fire and tried to stop the bleeding, but she bled out." I paused again, but the tears I held back started to form. "Jaime was the only one to die in my arms." As I stopped, I tried with all my might to fight the salty liquid from falling. I saw it as trying to keep my post as a strong individual. Amy wasn't fooled though. Just by her squeezes, she could feel my pain as I told her. But there was more to tell.

"When I saw all three of them die, I… I… saw to it that those responsible get taken down... _hard_. I went Dark after all three of their murders. With Cyrus, I tracked down the men responsible for putting the bullet in him, and took them down viciously. With Jonathan, we were on a helicopter getting out of a place that I cannot say. I went Dark again, jumped off the aircraft and brought down every hostile in the area, ending the mission. And with Jaime, it was the same thing. Dark, took down those responsible, ended the mission; wash, rinse, and repeat. I never killed anyone in the process. I honestly don't know how I kept myself from crossing the line, but I did. I was reported to the Commander for going off of what the plans were, but I didn't care. They were my teammates, my friends, and my responsibility. And I failed them."

She grabbed my cheek, holding it calmly. "Sonic, you didn't fail them. You completed the work that you were meant to do. I think you honored them by not stooping down to the enemies' levels and completing your job."

I smiled a little bit. "Thanks, Amy. That means a lot." But my smile was short-lived as I continued. "Their deaths shook me. In all my years of adventuring, whether with our friends or you, I had never lost a single person. Were we bruised and battered? Yeah, but we could live to fight another day. But now, it's different. I lost three good people, and even though my colleagues, my superiors, Shadow, Rouge, or anyone said that it wasn't my fault, I still feel in my soul that they are dead because I screwed up somewhere."

"Sonic, it wasn't your fault."

"No, Ames, they were. They all were. Maybe if I'd just been a bit faster, or held my tongue more, or stop losing myself in my ego and arrogance, I know that they'd be alive and well and with their loved ones. I can't shake the weight of their souls from me, because I know their ends were my fault, I just don't know how or specifically why, but they just are."

For a few minutes, we were silent, only hearing the crickets chirp and frogs croak in the jungle behind us. When I had finished, she embraced me, and I needed it. Though I was still shell-shocked from my tales, I returned the hug eventually.

"Sonic, cry. I know you're holding back, but you're with me. Don't torture yourself anymore. Let it out." So I did. I wept bitterly, crying quietly into her shoulder as I held her closer. I didn't want to lose another person, especially a close friend. For several minutes, I couldn't stop. She stroked my back quills to try and calm me down. It worked, but like most remedies, it worked slowly.

I wouldn't let her go. I wasn't going to let her go. Sure, others tried to talk to me about this, but they didn't understand the sadness that I had for their deaths, knowing they were my fault, it was just a matter of figuring out how. Or maybe it was because I went Dark. I knew that just because I could handle that dark deity, it didn't mean that when I neutralized threats in that state that it made me feel any better.

I was finally able to stop as she slowly rocked me like I was a small child, holding me closer. Amy, you beautiful, beautiful girl, why couldn't you have always been this caring with your hugs? This kind of love and affection is a drug that I crave and I will not kick this habit.

"Sonic, could you please look at me?" She asked so kindly, so how could I refuse? As I did, our eyes met, and the slightest of smiles came across my face. "Sonic, I'm proud of what you did. It doesn't matter if you believe it or not, but you done your best to avenge your fallen friends. You honored them by being the better man, by not killing those responsible when you just as easily could have. I'm proud of you, Sonic, and I know that they would be too. But I think you will honor them better if you can let the pain you've put on yourself go. That doesn't mean to forget them, but… well… do you know what I mean?" Yes.

"Amy, I've talked to I don't know how many people about this, but you were the one person who was the kindest to me about it and the most understanding. Thank you." She smiled warmly. "I'll try and take your advice, but it'll be hard."

"When's that ever stopped you?" She had me there.

"Not once."

"Exactly." She was and is the most amazing person I'd ever know. Not even Tails, my best friend could compare. I needed to tell her. I was already honest with her, so I might as well keep it going. Anything to keep this positive feeling going. I needed to tell her, to be honest with her.

"Amy, can I tell you something else?" She nodded. "Amy, I know that we've only been interacting tonight for a short time tonight, but I need to tell you something." She raised an eyebrow, but had an optimistic look in her eyes. "It's been really great to see you. It really has. I can tell that you've really grown up, and you're still the same young, sweet, and caring girl I've known for years." There was just enough moonlight for me to see her blush.

"You're always so positive, so understanding, so loving, and I can't think of any other friend, not even Tails, that is as understanding as you. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for all those times I just ran away from you. You were only trying to show me how much I meant to you. Well, now I'm telling you how much you mean to me." Now her eyes were sparkling, ready to cry joyous tears at any time. "You may be beautiful on the outside with a body that would drive any man crazy, a cute face with a button nose, the warmest smile, and the most beautiful green eyes in the whole world, but on the inside, you've even more beautiful than that. You're caring, understanding, respected, loved, willing to listen to someone like me cry their eyes out. I can tell by the look in your eyes that you've never and will never give up on me, and for that I thank you."

"Sonic, you're making me feel so… so… I don't know what to say now!"

"Amy, I can't say enough how beautiful you are, and or how even more beautiful you are in your heart. And I can't thank you enough for being the best kind of friend anyone could ask for. And… and… I think I can make your dreams come true tonight." Her eyes lit up. My eyes formed a tear of joy. As we faced each other, we were only inches away. I put my hand to her face, and she nearly fainted at my touch. It was the same for me.

"Amy? I… I… I know that I've only gotten to see you for one night and this is kinda rushed and out of left field, but…" Oh, come on, Sonic, SAY IT! I gulped. "I love you." We both shed a tear of joy as I closed the gap, bringing her in for a warm hug. We both sobbed quietly as tears of happiness and joy poured like a waterfall. I needed someone to be there for me when everything was wrong. I needed her. I needed a foundation. I needed everything about her. I loved everything about her.

"Sonic… I love you too!" My smile was bigger as we let loose of each other just enough to have our eyes meet.

"I mean it, Ames. I mean it. I really do love you."

She sniffled. "I know." Her voice was breaking to no surprise. "I can see it in your eyes. Do you know how long I've wanted you to say that?!"

"Eleven years," I joked. We chuckled, still locked in eye contact. I had been waiting long enough. No more beating around the bush. It was time to seal the deal. So I did. With right arm around her back, and my left hand on the back of her head, I pulled her in for the kiss.

When we made contact, I knew what Rouge and Knuckles felt like earlier in the day. When you absolutely adore someone for who they are. I felt the love, the spark, the warm feelings, the safety of her hold on me, and the girl that I now loved with all my heart and would at a moment's notice give her my heart. I already had hers, so I had to make it even.

Her lips were sweeter than the fruit salad I had earlier. I didn't even need the whipped topping for this one. It felt great to have her. I never thought my life would take this turn. From admiring her from afar this (short) time, I remembered that I called myself the poster child for irony.

But I needed more of her. Not her body per se, but more love in the kiss. But she beat me to the punch, trying to get her tongue involved. I went along with it, and when they connected, I felt like running around the world for days on end with no stops, no breaks, and no slowdowns. Now she tasted even sweeter than before. I didn't think it was possible! But it somehow was, and I just needed her more and more as she wanted me.

I felt my arms getting tighter around her slender and soft back, exploring more of her body, but respecting her at the same time. I was taught to keep my emotions in check, and I was stuck in the middle of letting loose, but also knowing my limits. Oh, god, she was great at this. Her hands stroked my quills, earning more effort from me into this kiss. I never wanted this moment to end. I prayed to God that he not end this night, not end this moment, not to spoil what we now have. I couldn't think of anything else to describe this as nothing short of the single greatest experience in my entire life. Running? Who needs to run when this was so much better?

But alas, my lungs were about to pop, as were hers, and we stopped to catch our breath. What was the sensation of 10,000 fireworks going off had ended, but the feeling was still there. It was still warm and fuzzy, and I looked at her lovingly as she did so to me too. We smiled, knowing full well that it was as beautiful as her.

We clung back onto each other like magnets, not letting go, not failing in anyway. I could have my life end right here and go out as the luckiest man on the face of the planet. She, no doubt, had a similar feeling as I felt her warm emotions coursing through my body. We sniffled again. I could feel a tear of happiness that was once on her cheek fall onto my shoulder, so eyed her up to stop the tears.

"There's no need to cry anymore, Ames." I brought my right hand to her face. "We don't have to cry anymore."

She smiled and nodded in agreement. "And if I do," she started, "will you there to catch them?"

I then put my left hand on her face. "You know it, angel."

We couldn't hold it back anymore, as we went in for another passionate kiss. It felt better than last time! Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, OH MY GOD, YES! Let this never stop! Let this wonderful and beautiful gift that we have been given never cease, never falter, never end! Amy, keep it up! Keep the love coming! You've held it in for over a decade, and let me take all if your love! You chose me to take it all! Your love, your heart, your everything! And I will treasure it always so much as I am blue and you are the most vibrant shade of pink and the most adorable, gorgeous, and beautiful girl on this planet! I love you Amy! I love you!

We had to stop again. I was almost knocked out cold from lack of air. She looked up to me with those eyes and begged for more. I obliged with smaller kisses with the same amount of passion as the previous ones as it took us to from sitting positions to the ground, with her on top of me, we continued to kiss. Learning our lesson, we stopped more frequently for air, as it was massively demanded between the two of us.

Our hands explored each other backs again. I stroked her slender and soft pink back up and down, trying to get as much love and passion out of her as physically possible. And she did the same to me, but she pushed up on my two back quills, getting me more and more excited, more and more willing to give it all that I had to show her that I loved her.

We separated the lip-lock for the final time of the night as we were both extremely exhausted from our experience. I had no doubts saying that it was the greatest feeling in the world, and judging by the awe-struck look in her eyes, I could tell that the feeling was mutual. I held her close as she was now on my right side again, but this time we were both on our sides, just watching each other lovingly. Our arms found their ways back around us as we held in the heat we had generated, keeping all the emotions locked in to boot.

Her eyes began to slow down, fluttering frequently to stay awake, but to no avail. Amy, I feel the exact same way, and I didn't want to sleep either. I wanted to look at her all night and keep whatever we had just experienced with us in that moment. But we knew it was late and we were too tired to get up and walk back to the party. I would protect her from whatever the jungle would throw at us, but since that was Angel Island, there wouldn't be anything, save maybe Rouge and Knuckles, that could hurt us, but I knew they'd be more likely to snap a picture of us like this and post it on the web to get a million hits by sunrise. I would make sure that no one would disturb us. Amy, if it is your wish, then sleep. But know that I'll be with you throughout this night, and on this night, know that I love you. That I'll always love you.

She unbutton my suit jacket and undershirt snuggled into my chest as our arms were still around each other, getting closer and closer to each other too. She nuzzled my bare chest, making me chuckle as she got herself comfortable. "Amy?" She opened one eye and looked at me. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sonic." With one last kiss, she nuzzled me again. My grip on her continued throughout the night, never faltering and never fading. I rubbed her back, to which she emitted a pleasured purr. Sleep tight, my Rose. Sleep well. Dream of me, of us, of my love for you. And know when you wake up, that tonight was no dream.

XXXXXXX

The sound of seagulls awoke me with something around my arm. It took me a minute to figure out why I had gotten here. Looking to my right I saw my new dream still sound asleep in the wee moments of the morning. The sun was still in the process of rising, and I wondered what the time was. Or at least that was my question when another sprung to mind as I looked around. How high up were we?

The island was afloat again. I gently took her arm off of mine and slowly got up, walking to the edge of the island. As I peered down, I guessed that we were at least a mile off the surface and moving away from the mainland which was only barely visible now off in the horizon. How was it that I didn't feel so much as a tremor when the isle arose from the ocean? When the island was grounded or rising back up again, you could feel the tremors of the action, and considering we were next to the ocean, I should've heard the sound of ocean water splashing on our way up. I guess that was a question I'd have to ask Knuckles.

Wait… if we were airborne, that probably meant… oh, _wonderful_. I walked back up to Amy, nudging her softly. "Wake up, Ames."

"Noooooo, not… not the feet. Anything but the feet… I'm so ticklish…" Her sleep talk was adorable and gave me a nasty idea. I slipped off her high heel shoes and began to indulge in her nightmare. I could hear her chuckle a bit. "Stop… stop! Stooooo-hahahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh too. This was worth the hell I'd catch later. "Stop!" She was awake by now, but-.

WHAM!

I was launched back a few yards from the isle's edge, landing on my side. So much for catching hell for it later…

The pain coming from my face was unbearable. Maybe it wasn't worth the pain. I carefully touched my face, and let out a yelp of pain when I reached my nose.

"I told you to-!" Amy's rant was cut off when she saw me doubled-up in pain. "Sonic! Are you alright?!" I got up, putting up a finger up to tell her to give me a minute. I looked at her, still trying to get my bearings from the contact of Piko Piko Hammer to skull. "Oh, Sonic, you're hurt! I'm so sorry!" Yeah, no duh I'm hurt.

I crossed my eyes to see that my nose wasn't properly bent the way it should be. "Let me help you!" Another finger came to her face. I got this, Amy. Man, I wish I had a chunk of leather to bite down on. Well, here goes. With one movement of my right hand, I felt and heard a CRACK that stemmed from my nose, earning another yelp of pain as I reset my broken nose to its former glory.

"Sonic, it's my fault that it happened!"

"No, Ames, I was the one who tickled your feet, so it's my bad. I forgot how you can whip that hammer out whenever you felt like it." She snorted at my statement. "What's so funny?"

"It was the way you said. I'm sorry, but my mind's in the gutter," she said while giggling. What did I say? Whip that hammer out-. Oh, _that_ way. And some people thought that my head was in the gutter…

"Now I see what you mean. Wow, that's gonna hurt for a while!"

"Should I take you to the hospital?"

"No, I'll just swing by Tails' place later and get an x-ray. Then I'll go from there." I started rubbing my injury. "That hurt!"

"Sorry," she said, pivoting her right toe along the sand. "Why'd you wake me up, anyway?"

"Because I think that Knuckles and Rouge thought that all the guests had all left after last night, so he resurrected the island back the sky." She looked out at the edge to see the clouds and the ocean below.

"So how are we going to get down? Tails?"

"No, he's probably gone like the rest of the guests. It's probably in the early morning wherever he is, and I'm not gonna get him out of bed just so he can get us. C'mon, let's go to Knux's place."

"Knuckles' and _Rouge's_ place," she corrected.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Let's go, gorgeous." I took her left hand, locking the fingers together with a strong bind as we left back for the party grounds as she held her high heels in her right hand. I kissed her on the cheek to remind of her what we shared last night, and she blushed.

We found ourselves at what was the party grounds. It looked like we missed something big happen, considering the tent was partially torn up. We went inside to see an almost empty room with a huge mess. Well, I had to find someone to help me, so Rouge or Knucklehead better show up soon.

"Knuckles? Rouge?" I asked loudly. Our ears perked up when we heard a slight feminine moan. "Hello?"

"Ooooooh, _Big_ Red…"

"Yeah…"

Amy and I stopped dead in our tracks to burst out laughing. Her mind wasn't the only one in the gutter. Knuckles' reply was nothing short of priceless. From the far corner of the tent, under an over-sized tablecloth no less, Rouge arose as did Knuckles. "What are you guys still doing here?" he asked groggily.

"Party a little too hard _Big_ Red?" Amy I both started laughing again as Rouge snickered too. He only got slightly extremely irked at me as evident in his fiery violet eyes, which had a nice bloodshot look to them. "Obviously, we didn't know you erected the island back into the sky overnight, so we're kind of stranded with no way off."

"Oh."

"That being said, you still have all the Emeralds, right Knux?"

"Yeah. Oh, I get it. Just make sure I get them back, alright, Sonic?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll give 'em to Rouge when I see her again, assuming she doesn't pocket them before you get them back."

"Let it go, Sonic. That was one time!" she replied.

"Still enough to leave an impression on Knuckie over here. Anyways, I'm going to take Amy home too, so whenever you get a chance to swing by my place and get 'em, you can have 'em."

"Sounds good, now buzz off, both of you. It's too early deal with you," said Knuckles.

I nodded, picking up Amy, who yelped in shear surprise of my gesture, and we raced off to the shrine where the Master Emerald glistened, and the seven Chaos Emeralds lay at its base. With all of them in my temporary possession, they began to encircle me at a fast pace and getting faster. Then they all went inside of me, taking me over with a positive energy, making me Super Sonic. Amy looked up to me hovering slightly as she cracked a very beautiful smile.

"Ready to go, Amy?" She nodded and I picked her up. With her arms around my neck, and my hands holding her firmly, we blasted away off the island and down towards the planet below, with the ocean spray making both of us slightly wet. It didn't take too long to get to the mainland, nor did it take a while to reach her little cottage, surrounded by rolling green hills and the sun just beginning to rise, but it was already bright enough thanks to my temporary bioluminescence. I set her down at her doorstep, and grounded myself, still in Super form.

"Thank you, Sonic. I had a really nice time."

I snickered. "That's an understatement."

"Yeah. Sonic, may I ask you something?" I nodded. "Well, considering the situation, I've always dreamt of you in this form with me…" I knew where she was going with this as she put her arms around my neck again, bringing her head closer and closer. So, I granted her wish. The kiss had the same amount of love and passion as they did last night, and I just as well, I didn't want to end like last night unfortunately did. Much like last night, my arms found their ways around her back as we deepened it, putting a French twist on it. But unlike last night, I had the ability to float, so I got a better grip of her as I slowly lifted us higher. She noticed what I was doing, but continued, seemingly more turned on because to my actions. And I couldn't have it any other way as I got closer, so close where no air could separate our bodies. Oh, I love you, Amy. Being in my Super form, I did not tire, but I felt her do so, so I grounded us slowly as she stopped to look at my shiny gold fun and red eyes.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, beautiful. Listen, I'm going to do to Tails and see if he can x-ray my nose, but I promise you that I'll keep seeing you. I've still got about three weeks of leave, and if I may, I'd like to spend as much time as I can with you."

"Sounds wonderful." She lightly kissed me again. "Are you be available tonight?"

"Definitely. I'll see you tonight then, Ames."

She kissed me again. "Alright. I'm going to hold you to it."

"Or get another hammer to my skull?" I joked. She chuckled, nodding. With one final kiss, a long and slow one, we separated. As I zoomed away, something clicked. I was thinking about getting out of G.U.N. prior to the wedding, but now I was determined to do so.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

" _Jungle love, it's drivin' me mad, it's drivin' me CRAZY!"_

 _Please excuse me for that Steve Miller Band outburst, but that's where I got this chapter's title from if you care. You don't? Oh… in that case, never mind._

 _So here's ch. 4. True to my word, I put up 2 chapters this week as I promised last week. The main reason I decided to upload both 3 &4 in one day is because that the chapters were originally one chapter before I split it up, believing the chapter to be too long. Ironically, even if you were to put the two chapters together (disregarding the description/author's note segment) the two chapters would still be shorter than my story's longest chapter by over 4,000 words._

 _But if we may get away from the short developmental stories, I have to say this. In any other SonAmy stories, I have never really been a fan of Sonic telling Amy that he loves after a short amount of time (i.e. a day, an hour, etc.). However, if it written well enough with the appropriate amount of build-up, the I am usually okay with it. Chapters 3 &4 did involve Sonic admitting to himself and Amy his love for her rather quickly in time if you think about the flow of the story and scenes. Do I think that I could've written the whole "Sonic admits his love to Amy" scene better? Probably. Will I change it? Probably not, unless I feel very inclined to do so._

 _I believe that I could've put a mature content stamp on chapter 3, but I have read other stories on DeviantArt and where a character or two gets killed and there's no filter, so I omitted it. Besides, it's not like Sonic's ripping someone's heart out of their body like Superman did In Injustice: Gods Among Us (a very good fighting game if you're into the whole Mortal Kombat fighting thing in addition to being a DC Comics fan)._

 _So with all that said, as always, all the characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA._


	5. 5: Freedom, Sweet Freedom

**Ch. 5: Freedom, Sweet Freedom**

THREE WEEKS LATER

 _***Sonic's POV***_

"It's time to leave, isn't it?" The way she asked it killed me more than actually doing it. But my time was up. I knew that, and she did too. I wanted to stay. In the three weeks we had been together, I had grown a severe attachment to Amy. All my friends would've said it was painfully obvious, sometimes gross considering how much they claimed to have seen us sucking face. I like to think that's because they aren't experiencing what love really is, or they aren't experiencing it enough with their respective better halves.

"Unfortunately." The way it came out made her feel even sadder than she felt before. I've had to leave my friends behind before, but this was different. I was leaving _her_ behind. Sure, she understood that this wouldn't last forever, but I was determined that one day I would come back with her.

She crept behind me slowly as I stood in the opening of her lovely home. She put her arms around me slowly, covering my chest, and she put her cute head on my right shoulder. I held her head with my right arm, leaning on it too, nuzzling her as best as I could. I was going to miss her, but I was determined that I would get this feeling back. Get her addictive touch back. Get everything about her back. I would not say get her love back because I always had it and now had formally earned it. I was determined to keep it like my promises. Speaking of which…

"Amy?" I could feel her sad face look up to my eyes. I was so used to getting lost in her piercing jade green eyes. Nothing could match their beauty. "Amy, can I say something?" She nodded as a tear ran down her face. With my free hand, I wiped it away and turned around to get a better look of her with her still holding me. "Ames, look at me." Our eyes connected again, and my heart sank at how red they were. "Amy, you know I'll never break a promise, right?" She nodded. "Well, I'm promising you, Amy, that when I return from my next assignment, that it will be my last. When I get back, the first thing I'll do is come here, with a dozen-, no, _two_ dozen roses, I'll give them to you regardless of the time, and we'll be together again. There won't be a thing that will separate us, I'll make sure of it. I give you my word that I'll return Amy."

"But what if something goes wrong? What if you get hurt, or get ki-."

"Amy… that will not happen. You know I can handle myself. I've dealt with some of the worst scum this world and other worlds have to offer, and I've walked away from them all. I'll be fine."

"That sounds very arrogant of you."

"Amy, there's a fine line between arrogance and honesty. I'm not being cocky when I'm saying that I'll come back to you. That's the honest truth Amy, or my name isn't Sonic the Hedgehog. You have to believe me, angel." She hugged me tighter, and I finally hugged her, not realizing I hadn't been holding her. In hind sight, that was pretty idiotic. "Have faith, Ames. Have faith."

"I do. It's just I feel so lonely and weak when you're gone."

"Ames, let me tell you something." I repositioned myself to look her in the eyes. "You're never alone. I'll always be with you. You've always known that. And weak? Amy, you've been after me for over a decade, and I've shot you down more times than I can count, but you've always stayed true to yourself, and you've never given up on a chance to be happy with me. Amy, you're the strongest person I'll ever know just because of the personal hell I've put you through and you've kept on believing. You're so much stronger than me that it's not even funny. You have to believe that."

She was silent for a minute, but was able to crack a smile. "I have to go, Ames. Would it be possible for a kiss for good luck?"

She answered my question, bringing me closer until the sweet taste of her strawberry lip gloss touched my lips. We held each other the closest we've held, not breaking. She really was the strongest person I know. Her will's more unbreakable than mine.

We separated, but still hung on for dear life. "Come back alive. You got that?" she asked through the tears and high emotions.

I kissed her on the cheek, and one last time on the lips. "I promise." With one last big grip, she finally released me. As I walked out, I looked back to see her crying bitterly. "I promise!" I yelled to her. "I love you!"

"I love you too, Sonic," she said weakly.

She blew me a kiss, which I caught, and sped away, pulling out my phone. I found the contact I needed and started dialing.

"Hello?"

"Commander, it's Sonic."

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd call."

"I'm on my way to headquarters now… and if you have a minute before my debriefing, I need to talk to you about something. Make sure Rouge and Shadow are there too."

"Will do, Sonic."

"Thank you." And with that, I hung up.

TWO WEEKS LATER

I had to give the big man this, his house was incredible. Of course, it wasn't anything new. I'd been here so many times, walking these halls, taking lefts and rights at the right halls, being escorted by security, and every so often Rouge and Shadow would be with me, and always the Commander. I was flattered that the President was excited whenever I successfully completed a mission, but a personal 'thank you' from him was getting a bit annoying. And I thought Amy was bad back in the day. No, he was just as bad. Thankfully, he didn't lust over my love. I repeat, _thankfully_.

The secret serviceman opened the door to us to his office. The Octagon Office. It seemed like I had been in this office just as much as him ever since he took office. I had to say, he had a decent sense of décor. Crimson red carpeting with the U.F. seal plastered in the middle, sticking out like a single cloud on a clear-skied day, ivory walls with cherubs carved in the columns which separated the walls, a mahogany desk with the U.F. seal on its front, looking very regal, and the golden couches for the sake of taking a seat.

As I heard a door creak open from the right side of the room, I felt relieved that he finally showed up so we could get this over with. My patience was non-existent for this fan-boy politician.

"Sonic, my boy!" I hated it when he greeted me as such. He offered his right hand, and I took it, shaking it, faking a smile. "Congratulations on another successful mission."

"Thank you, Mr. President." He went down the line congratulating the rest of his company: Shadow, Rouge, and the Commander.

"Please, sit down." We did so, resting ourselves on the incredibly comfortable couches. You could easily take a nap here if you weren't careful. He went to his desk and pulled something out of one of the drawers. I had been here so many times that it was almost like clockwork. A handshake, sitting on this comfy sofa, him giving me a medal; the process never changed.

"Sonic, Rouge, Shadow, if you could all please rise?" As we did, we were presented medals to commemorate our courage, winning the fight, following orders, blah, blah, blah. I was wrong, it wasn't clockwork… it was a broken record. OW! Watch where you're pinning that! HA! Shadow got stabbed too. He wasn't the one to take being hurt, physically or otherwise, lightly, but considering this was the President of the United Federation, he had to keep his mouth shut out of respect. Maybe the Commander-in-Chief should start going with a medal that has a ribbon so it hangs from your neck, and not a medal that was more of prick than Dr. Eggsalad.

"… and you've all done your people proud. Thank you." Finally, he was done. We all saluted him and took our seats again. Then he went to his chair and started lounging, kicking up his feet on the desk. Why you'd potentially ruin quality mahogany by doing that was a question that I'd never get answered. Maybe it was because he was in a position high enough where he could get away with it and no one verbally judging him.

"I can't thank you enough for what you've all done. I can't wait to give you more medals in the future. Particularly you, Sonic." Sorry to disappoint.

"Well, sir, then it's going to be a while."

"Oh?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Please, I'd be insulted if you didn't. What did you mean by 'a while'?"

"I meant to say that this is the last time." He looked confused. Did I really have to spell it out for him?

"What do you mean 'last time'?" I guess I did.

"I mean this last mission was my last, sir. For G.U.N., at least."

"What do you mean?" OH, COME ON! EVEN SILVER ISN'T _THIS_ NAÏVE!

"I don't think I need to say anything else, sir. I think it's pretty obvious what I'm saying." He chuckled, but he must've seen my face. I was being serious. As much I loved joking around, this was something that I wasn't going to jest about. His smile and cheery disposition left as he looked at me harder.

"Wait, you mean you're done? _Done_ done?" I nodded, but the way he said made him seem like a child, and I felt a disapproving look rear itself onto my face.

"Is there any other kind?" I asked annoyed.

"Please tell me you're joking."

"I don't mean to rude, sir, but do I look like I'm joking?" After studying my face for a second or two too long, it looked like it finally clicked.

"Sonic, I must say that I'm shocked. I don't understand why you'd want to leave."

"Well, it's like this: I've been thinking about this for a while ever since I lost three agents on assignment. I saw them die, Mr. President, with my own eyes. One bled out in my arms, and I felt so helpless. I only joined the organization in the first place to pass the time. Sure, beating up bad guys, saving the day, helping innocent people, I enjoy doing that, and G.U.N. does that too, just with more political motives. But I realized that I've lost my way. I walked away from my life, my friends, my family; everything. I feel obligated every day to protect those closest to me, and I don't believe that I've done that. And the deaths of my teammates showed me that life can end at any moment, and if someone goes after those closest to me and hurts them, I'll never be able to forgive myself for failing to get there in time.

"I've talked this over with my friends, with my fellow agents, as well as the Commander. I brought them in today not just to pick up their medals, but to support me on this. I know that some people didn't exactly like my decision, but they said that I had their full support in the matter. I'm just trying to do what I believe is best. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I know that I'm your favorite agent… and judging by the sad look on your face right now, you're pretty upset that you're losing an agent."

He sighed. "My favorite agent, as you said." He turned to the rest of the company. "You all support his decision?

"Yes," said the Commander.

"I do too," said Rouge.

"I may not like the faker," Shadow said, "but I do respect what he can do. We've all seen the kind of stuff he can pull off, and he's saved a lot of people, and I see that's he's wised up to what real life is. I may not like the guy, but he has my respect and support."

Wait, was this really Shadow that I brought? He _complimented_ me? What was the date? Well, it wasn't April Fools' Day. I guess he really was telling the truth, I just didn't expect something like that to come out of him.

"I see," Titus said. "Well Sonic, I'm really sad to see you leave. You were one of our best agents and you've done a lot of good thing for us. I just wish you could've stayed longer." I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just nodded.

"Sir, I'll always be around to help those who need it, it's just that I don't want to do it for G.U.N. anymore. I gotta find my own way and have own adventures that don't involve me following orders."

"I understand Sonic, and I respect your wishes." But by judging his body language, he wasn't at all happy.

"Good. Well then, this is 'good-bye' I guess. Sir, it was an honor." I got up to offer my hand. He got up and shook it. "See you 'round." As I went out, so did the rest of my group. As we walked down the halls, I felt like a monkey was off of my back, and I could live again. But there was one more piece of business.

As we exited the building and the compound, I turned to face my colleagues. "It's been a wild ride. Thank you." I shook the Commander's hand.

"Thanks again, Sonic."

"Rouge, I'll see you around. Don't be afraid to bring Knux and yourself over to catch up or even for a drink."

She hugged me. Didn't expect that one. "I'll make sure the Guardian and I do that."

Finally Shadow. "Thanks."

I offered him a hand, but he just looked at for a minute, then back up to me, scowling as he did it. He then nodded, and we shook hands.

"This life isn't for everyone," he said.

"Why do you think I got out?" That made him smile. "Now if you three will excuse me, I need to go see somebody about some flowers." And with that, I sped away, searching for the nearest florist.

 _***Amy's POV***_

This picture of us can only do so much justice. Not nearly enough. Still, I can't believe how lucky I am to finally have him. I wish he was here. Hearing his voice on the phone can only do so much. I need him. There is no other way to say it. I NEED HIM. God, look at me. A love-sick hedgehog that finally got what she's wanted since Little Planet, and just when I was getting used to him with his arms around mine, duty called. Figures. It was always something in the past that forced him to leave, and I know my pushiness was one on several occasions.

Wow, that sunset looks beautiful. The scarlet sun dipping down behind those hills, the sky in a rainbow of colors, and the first stars could now be seen if looked closely upon. I wish he was here. I need someone to comfort me, tell me I'm beautiful, have their arms around me, telling me he loves me.

But what if it was some big gag? I wouldn't put it past him to do something like that. He did come out of left field with his feelings after _one night_. But he stayed. When he was here, he never left. The world was in no need to be saved, and he spent as much time as he could with me. So why am I thinking he doesn't love me? I know he said it, but you can say a lot of things and not have it hold any weight. Or what if I was thinking of something, anything to occupy myself? I hate being bored so much. No wonder he went to work for G.U.N. He probably thought I was boring.

Wait, what if he doesn't come back?! How could I deal with that? I know that I couldn't. There's no way! What if something happened to him?! My god! SONIC! PLEASE BE ALRIGHT! PLEASE BE ALIVE! COME BACK TO ME!

Get a hold of yourself, Rose! He said he'd be back, but that was two weeks ago. Sure, he's only called me once, that 'once' being a week and a half ago, but he was probably busy with other things on assignment. And besides, this was Sonic! He always comes through! I can't think of a time where he hasn't! He'll be back! I know it! I just hope he comes to me, holds me in those strong arms of his, sweeps me off my feet, treats me like a lady should be treated, and tell me once more that he loves me and have him mean it.

*DING DONG*

Speak of the devil!

I couldn't get to the front door fast enough. Was it really him? Was it all meant to be that just as I was thinking of him coming back to me that he came right now? As I opened the door, I hoped it was him. But I was disappointed to see nothing. Not a soul in sight. Not even an annoying, little mosquito. I went out for a brief moment to see if someone was play ding-dong-ditch with me. There wasn't, and I now I could only dream of chewing out some little brat out for doing this to me.

Wait, what's that? It's music! It's a guitar! I wasn't playing any music when I went out, so who is… nooooo, it couldn't be! I walked slowly back inside, unsure what to expect. I peered around the corner, to see no one there. The music had stopped, and not a single sound could be heard except for my breathing. Sadness and confusion conquered my brain, unsure if I was just imagining things. Am I going nuts? I could've sworn I heard a guitar being played.

"It's kinda cute to see you all worried and confused."

 _***Sonic's POV***_

She turned around quickly, and the look on the girl's face was PRICELESS. The guitar from my Underground days was in my left hand and the two dozen roses for her were in my right. If I had third arm, I'd take a picture of this moment, just to show her how beautiful she looked when she got all worried.

Her eyes, oh, her eyes. They were on the verge of tears. They were welling up tears that she would no doubt cry over me because I've been gone for too long. The rest of face was in shock too. Her muzzle, which was slightly paler than my own, was now colorless, leaving a stark contrast between her black nose and the rest of her muzzle. She let one tear fall, no doubt out of absolute joy. I set my guitar gently on the ground and walked up to her, wiping away the droplet with my free hand.

"H-H-How did you… wh-wh-when did you…?" she stuttered. I couldn't help but smirk. I should've known this would happen. I could tell that she still loved me, given her incoherence about the whole situation. Granted, I was away for fourteen days, and that last mission did get a bit bumpy, but I did make a promise, didn't I?

"I got back a day ago, and as far as how I got into the house… well that, my dear Amy, is a trade secret." I couldn't resist being mysterious and charismatic with her. This was fun! I should come back like a soldier more often. Especially given the look she was giving me.

I brought my left hand to my mouth to bite my glove, pulling it off. A simple tear wipe wasn't good enough. I had to feel her sweet and soft face. As I put it up to her, she began trembling as she grabbed my wrist and the back of my hand, getting as much out of this as possible, probably to convince herself that I was real and that I was back. I offered her the roses next.

"I thought you'd like these." She let loose of her hold and took the twenty-four deep red roses, taking a big whiff of their fresh odor. She looked back to me smiling, liking my romantic, if not traditional, gesture. But in one motion, she threw the flowers aside and hugged me tightly. I missed this. And judging by my spinal column fracturing more and more the longer she hugged me, she missed me something fierce too. I returned the favor as she began to sob into my peach chest. In that moment, time stopped. It was just us. I consoled her by stroking her long and soft quills that smelt of strawberries and cherries. Considering she was 4'-2" to my 4'-6", my nose was rested on the top of her sweet little head.

"I missed you," she forced out.

"Me too, Amy. Me too."

I took my hands off of her and put them on her face, making her look at me. Our eyes were locked, getting lost in each other's eyes. Her eyes had stopped crying, but more tears were welled up just waiting be released. I kissed her on the forehead, getting a chuckle out of her. She responded by warmly smiling back at me. Yeah, she was going to be just fine. As she slowly slid her arms up my back, she stroked my back quills, getting a rise out me. Oh, that felt gooooood. I instinctively began purring as a spark was now a raging blaze.

When she did get to my neck, I felt a devilish smirk reach my muzzle, while my eyes held so much pent up emotion and passion that was going to burst in the extremely near future. Just as she slid her arms up my body, I slid mine down hers, taking in all of her soft fur and her curves. I wasn't going to deny that she had grown up big time in the time that I hadn't seen her prior to Rouge's and Knuckles' wedding. And as I took in her natural goodness, my fire was stoked even more, and judging by the look in her eyes, the feeling was mutual. I wanted to lose control so badly. I could feel the old Werehog down in me wanting to burst out and have that beastly animal take over. I could see the same desire in her tearless eyes and equally evil smirk. But I wasn't going to go too far, even as aroused as we were, I knew we weren't ready for that. So I did the next best thing.

I grabbed a good hold of her back with my strong left arm, and with my right, I grabbed her by her rear, picking her up. It was a good thing her grip, still around my neck, was strong, because she was obviously not ready for me to pick her up in my able arms. But to her credit, she adapted pretty well, wrapping her legs around my body for more support. And I had to admit, her initial yelp when I did it was cute, just like her.

We laughed playfully as I slowly walked with her around me into her living room, where I threw us onto her couch. She yelped again as I did it, and she found me on top of her with our faces mere millimeters apart.

"You know," she started, "I've always dreamed of us like this."

"Well, this is no dream." I bowed my head and my desires were now a roaring bonfire as we explored each other with a kiss that was two weeks overdue. We both put our deepest desires into it. Our tongues, our pent-up feelings, her arms around my back, my left arm around her back, and my right hand and arm caressing her leg, slowly going upward. I was getting more and more of a rise out of her as I inched closer upwards, but like I just told myself, we weren't ready for _that_ yet. So I just stuck to going up and down it. I wanted to take in as much as I could. I was drunk on her love. There wasn't any other way to say it. I loved her. Every last bit of her, and I wanted this girl more than anything else.

"I love you," I said, getting a few words in during the few breaks in our lip-locking time.

"Really?" she asked dryly, but with her arms still exploring me. "I couldn't tell."

"That so?"

"Yeah. What are you gonna do about it?" Was it odd it think that her cocky nature was turning me on more? NOPE!

"Well, I'm gonna make you say that you love me back."

"How are you going to do that?" she asked playfully.

I leaned in closer, put on my best cocky smile, and said, "I'm going to kiss so long that your lungs are going to burn up, and I won't stop until you say it." Before she could retort, I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in, catching her completely off guard as documented by her wide eyes. I loved doing this. I loved it a lot. Her soft and tender lips against mine, the passion and fire that went along with it, and so many other things.

At first, she was keeping up, then like so many times, I put on the afterburners, so-to-speak, and I saw the look in eyes as she began running out of air. I found it cruelly humorous as I saw her see that I was absolutely fine as far as having enough air, and I wasn't even taking any in. What she didn't know was that I was trained to hold my breath for minutes on end. She was not.

She finally forced us apart, though I didn't make it easy as I saw her chest expand and contract trying to catch her breath. I got off of her and sat up on the other end of her couch just laughing silently, but looking like a complete fool.

"So… I think I won. Now what do you say?" I said with my ego taking center stage. Though she hadn't quite caught her breath yet, she looked at me with contempt. She slowly slithered her way onto me, still with the serious face on. It quickly left as she started laughing too.

"I love you too. Happy?"

"Very." As I put my hands around her, I held her lovingly. My desires were satisfied for the time being as I just wanted to hold her now. She accepted my gesture, putting her arms around my back and I looked at those beautiful jade green eyes that I loved getting lost in. She moved up me a bit more to the point where her face was incredibly close to mine. She gave me peck on the lips, but I returned the favor and then some, getting a longer and slower kiss. She separated herself from me, and I could see why. Her eyes were not as cheery as before. I could see doubt in her eyes.

"You're not going to leave me again, are you?" she asked.

To answer her question, I put my right hand on face gently, letting her soak in my touch as did the same. "Never. Not again. I'm done with G.U.N., Amy. They want me back? Too bad. Besides, I'm kinda busy these days… 'cause I'll be spending them with you." She smiled at and giggled. She leaned in again, and I obliged, breaking the sweet kiss off after a few seconds. After that, she fell back into my chest, still in a caring embrace. That's how we spent the rest of the day. We sat there for hours, eventually falling asleep on the loveseat with the warm summer air circulating, keeping us cozy. I could get used to this. Scratch that, I _was_ going to get used to this.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Making a clever chapter title for this one was impossible, at least to me._

 _But anyway, here's chapter 5. What Sonic does in this chapter really helps set up what is going to happen in the next few chapters, but even more when Part II comes along. And yes, before you ask, this is not the last you will see of Max Titus._

 _When it comes to Sonic returning to Amy, I have a pretty good idea that he would make a big show of it just because of how much of a showoff he is. Not that Amy's complaining!_

 _Five chapters down and only 19 to go… Actually, that reminds me. I'll warn you right now that the next two chapters will include sexual themes and I will be adding a mature content filter for the next two chapters for the DeviantArt version of this story. When I say, "sexual themes" I'll leave you to your own imaginations on what that may or may not include, but I will go on record to say that Chapter 6 is worse than 7 and is the sole reason that this story is rated M/Mature, for the sake of me trying to establish some professionalism (though I'll be the first to tell you that I am not a professional writer; not by a long shot). So all in all, when the two chapters come out, approach with caution for viewer discretion is advised._

 _I should also point out that next week you'll have the two aforementioned chapters, but not both the same day. Chapter 6 will be next Monday and chapter 7 will be up next Saturday. The reason I won't be updating the week after that is because I'll busy all of that week with working and I'm going up to Green Bay to attend the Green Bay Packers' annual shareholders' meeting on my lone day off. Yes, i'm a fan of the NFL's Green Bay Packers (the Bears still suck). I also haven't given the majority of you readers much clarity as to when the next chapter will be uploaded, either, and I'll try to do that in the future._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA._


	6. 6: Some Birthday This Turned out to Be

**Ch. 6: Some Birthday This Turned out to Be**

 **WARNING: DOES CONTAIN SEXUAL THEMES. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.**

TEN MONTHS LATER

 _***Sonic's POV***_

11 am. I knew that it was that time when the alarm clock on my dresser started "singing" its usual wake-up call. As much as I wanted to sleep in, I did promise Amy that I'd be spending the evening with her. After all, she was turning 20 years old today, and that was my present to her. But I knew my awesome presence wouldn't be enough. If there was one thing I learned in a relationship over the last year, it was that if you messed up something like a birthday, more specifically _hers_ , it usually meant an all-expenses paid three-month stay in the nearest doghouse, so to say. Granted, my first trip to the doghouse was only a week (over a two-month anniversary of our relationship of all things), but I wouldn't want to mess up today.

The grandfather clock in my house rang six times for 6 pm. I got out of the house pretty quickly, returning just as quickly back with romantic flowers firmly in my grasp. As I walked back up the sidewalk to my house, I looked at the mailbox. It never dawned on me yesterday to check my mail. As I opened it up, only one letter was in it. I zoomed inside with the piece of postage and found no return address. My curiosity was definitely peaked as I opened it up and then unfolded and read its cargo.

"No. No. OH, COME ON! YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!" I slammed my fist onto my kitchen counter in a fit of rage. I thought when I left G.U.N. that I would rid of them forever. But no, phone calls kept coming in twice a week from him. And he needs me _now_?! Can't that man take a hint?! Every week he calls me twice asking to please reconsider my resignation. I understand that I was the President's favorite agent, but the more he called, the more I realized that when he said that he respected my wishes, he lied like a good politician is supposed to do. First the calls, now this?! At least the Commander respected my wishes! He never sent mail or called me to reconsider my decision! Why today?! Why of all days did I have to get this?! I could only imagine what-. Oh, man… what is Amy going to say about this?! Oh, jeez. The last thing I needed was her to get mad. WHY DID I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT TICKING HER OFF EARLIER?! I JUST JINXED MYSELF! No, Amy would understand, but I don't want to go! I want to be with her!

I dropped my head and sighed. I haven't felt so defeated in such a long time. I knew what she'd say, but it was still my call, wasn't it? Even though they were orders… but I don't work for them anymore! I'm done! He doesn't say what I can or can't do! But my conscience says…. "Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh," I groaned. I hated being conflicted. I have to tell her, but I can't just… well, this day just keeps on getting better. I need to see her now.

I grabbed the letter and hid it among the bouquet of roses I had bought for her on the way and zoomed to her. As I raced to her cottage, my mind raced trying to think of how to tell her. To no surprise, I found that there would be no way to tell her gently. I skidded to a stop on front doorstep. I knocked and got the okay to head in.

"Amy?" She began walking downstairs gracefully with a dress similar to her classic red one with the white accents at the neck and bottom. The only difference was that the red was replaced with a shade of pink slightly lighter than her fur, and the white was replaced with a dark purple, with a headband matching her dress. The same went for her boots. I had always been so used to her wearing St. Nick's colors 24/7, save for that wedding nearly a year ago. I smiled at her. "I'm so used to seeing you in red."

"I thought I'd change it up for today." She twirled and stopped rather gracefully. "Do you like it?"

I slowly walked up to her and gave her a kiss. "When don't I?"

"Never, it seems." She looked around me and saw my gift. "For me?" I gave them to her, plucking the letter out of it. "What's that?"

"Well," I said while rubbing the back of my head out of figurative discomfort. "I'll talk to you about it later. Do you like the flowers, Ames?" She hugged me with the twelve golden roses in her hands and kissed me softly. "I'll take that a 'yes'."

"Let me get something to-." Before she could finish her sentence, I zoomed away and got her a vase full of cold water. "…put these in." She trailed off as she looked at my hands with the vase in their grasp. "Showoff," she said scoffing at me. She took off the wrapping and the rubber band that held them together and plunked the bright roses into the vase, taking them to a nearby table.

"Happy birthday, Amy." I replied with a smile. She didn't say a word, she just came back to me and hugged me, and I returned the favor. Then I had an idea considering we were so close. I lifted my right arm off of her back and onto her left arm. She was a bit taken back at what I was doing. I continued until her left arm was off of me. I proceeded to grab her hand and begin to sway slightly.

"May I have this dance?" She smiled and nodded. Then we both started swaying back and forth, and our feet began to move slowly as we danced in slow circle. With our foreheads against each other, we were at peace. I was loving this just as much as she was. I began humming the first tune that came to mind. She picked up on it too, and smiled as the lyrics started to come out.

"I've found a reason for me to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new, and the reason is you," I sang quietly.

"Hoobastank? Really?"

"Well, that refrain sums me up pretty well, wouldn't you think?"

"I think they left out the cockiness, the ego, your daredevil personality..."

"Nobody's perfect," I replied with a shrug.

"But you're right. It does fit." With that, I twirled her around and we got back into our previous positions. "When did you learn how to dance?"

"C'mon, Ames. This isn't the first time we've danced."

"True, but I keep asking you that same question, and I still haven't gotten an answer out of you."

"Really?" I asked with surprise. She nodded. "Huh. Well... when I went undercover, many times I'd have to dance with other ladies. Never took too much of an interest in them. It was business first. But to them, business took on a different definition."

"What do you mean by that?"

"As in 'bedroom' business."

"Ah, and you never went that far?"

"Nah, I wasn't interested in a relationship at the time. Besides, I had my mission to carry out."

She got a better grip on me and moved in much closer than we already were. "And now what do you think about being in a relationship?"

I softly chuckled. "Let me show you." As I said that, I dipped her and put out one hell of a kiss, holding her up in my arms as her heart melted. She kissed me back, dropping my right hand so that both of hers could hold onto my neck. With the better grip came a stronger kiss, and boy did she know how to kiss! We broke it off, and we stared at each other. As her heart melted at my lip penetration, my own melted at the sight of her wonderful, glistening, jade green eyes. I couldn't help myself. I had to have another, and she humored me.

I put upright so she could get at me better and she deepened the kiss. As we sucked face, I put my hands on her waist and began dancing again. She giggled as I did it. This dance was even slower than the one from before, as we only barely moved, but enough to still consider it dancing. We parted for just second, but we resumed with small little nuggets of affection. Small kisses, cheek smooches, nuzzling into each other, and leaning on each other's bodies as we tried to get closer and closer.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," I said sadly. She picked up on it and looked up.

"What do you mean, Sonic?" We stopped dancing and separated. She saw a saddened look on my face. "C'mon, Sonic. Tell me what's wrong." I pulled out the letter that I had tucked in between my quills. "What's this?" she asked as I handed to her.

"Read it," I replied. She unfolded and read aloud.

"' _Dear Sonic, we understand that you have retired from G.U.N., but we are in dire need of your services. Our soldiers are in the middle of a war in the deserts in Shamar, where our men, as well as hundreds of innocent civilians are in the heart of bloody war. Our soldiers have been unable to gain any ground, and we cannot afford to lose anymore brave souls or innocent lives. We are in need of your heroic services immediately because we feel as if there is no one else capable enough to help us than you. Please contact me soon as possible at 867-5309. Thank you. Signed, Maximilian Joseph Titus: the President of the United Federation_.'"

When she got done, she put the letter down, and I could see the heartbreak in her eyes. When she looked up at me, she could see my emotions. My heartbreak equaled hers, but I was angrier that I had gotten G.U.N. out of that life, and now I was being forced back in. I didn't want that. I wanted my freedom, and it was being taken away.

"That came in the mail yesterday."

"Sonic… OH, SONIC!" She threw her arms around me and started sobbing. I held her closer, needing someone there for me. She was there for me when the President kept calling me personally twice a week ever since I left.

"I don't want to go back there, Ames. I don't. I won't!"

She released me and I saw her eyes crying again. "But Sonic, those people-."

"They can handle themselves!"

"Sonic, listen to yourself! He's begging you to help! You're Sonic the Hedgehog! When have you ever denied a cry for help? Never, that's when!"

"But I-I-."

"Sonic, this is hard enough to deal with as it is. You know they need you!" The house went dead silent after that as we looked at each other, shedding tears and feeding off of each other's heartbreak. I finally bowed my head in defeat. I knew that she was right, but that didn't make me feel any better. Instances in life like this rarely did.

"You're right, Ames. I'm sorry. Please excuse me for a moment." I walked out the front door for a minute, reflecting on the events. I knew that she was right. I had promised them that I would help them if they needed it. But as I much I loved adventuring and saving the day, I loved Amy more. I was committed to her, and I'll stand by that until I keel over.

I whipped out my phone and began dialing the number. After two rings, I was answered.

"President Titus' desk. Hector speaking."

"Hey, Hex, how're you doing?" I can still see young Hector Wilson. For a human, he had the weirdest iris color you could imagine that was 100% natural: _pink_.

"Sonic! It's been a while! I'm hanging in there. You?"

"I could be better. _Much_ better. Anyway, I'm calling concerning my recent mail."

"I take it that you received the letter?"

"Unfortunately."

"You don't sound too enthused." THANK YOU, CAPTAIN OBVIOUS.

"Well, when I'm forced to leave my girlfriend for who knows how long, I tend to be unenthusiastic, borderline teed off," I hissed.

"There's no need to yell at me, Sonic. I'm not the one who asked for you."

"Right, sorry Hex. I'm just-."

"I understand, Sonic. Anyway, if you're looking for the President, he's stuck in a meeting right now."

"Well good, I didn't feel like talking to him anyway… not without chewing him out first."

"I don't suppose that has to do with his liberal use of the phone?"

"How'd you guess? Doesn't he understand the meaning of the word, 'no'?"

"Not to you, I guess." You got that right.

"Anyway, tell him that I will be meeting him regarding the situation."

"Good. When can you come in?"

"Tomorrow morning at 9's bells."

"I think that the President would like you to come in sooner than 0900."

"I'm sure he would, but he can wait."

"Sonic-."

"No, Hex, listen. I do not care what the President would like for me to do. He is not my boss or my mom. I will help him out _this one time_ , and it will be on _my terms_. I made a promise to my girl that I would spend her birthday with her. So I will be in at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning at the Octagon Office. If he doesn't like that, then too bad. Can you tell him that, Hex?"

I could hear him sigh, obviously irritated. "Alright, Sonic, I'll tell him."

"Good. Listen, I'm sorry for being rude, it's just that I'm-."

"I understand, Sonic. The President will be happy to hear that you're in."

"Yeah, whatever. In that case, I'll be around in the morning. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Talk to you later." With that, I ended the call. Note to self: apologize for my rudeness when I see Hex tomorrow.

As I opened the door, she whistled at me from her living room to get my attention. I followed the sound and found her on the couch with her legs bunched against her arms and body with a blank look on her face. I sat down next her and put my arm around her, kissing her forehead.

"Ames?" She didn't do anything. "Babe, could you please look at me?" She turned her head, and what I saw confused me. Her façade sported a disappointed look on my face. "Amy, I'm sorry that I-."

"Can you follow me, please?"

"What?" I asked, now incredibly confused.

She got up and offered a hand, still with that same look on her face. "Can you follow me, please?" I brought my hand up, held her hand, and got up. She led me upstairs and didn't make a sound the entire way. She led me into the bathroom and closed the door after me.

Okay, I've already established that I'm beyond confused, but now I was at the point where I didn't have a clue what to expect next. If she wanted to talk to me in private, as fitting as a bathroom was for privacy, we were the only ones in the house, making this incredibly redundant. She still had to have been mad at how I handled the situation. I was a 22-year-old hedgehog who had acted more mature as of late, but I let myself be a child because I threw a small fit because I was being forced to do something I didn't want to do. That's what Amy wanted to talk to me about, or at least that's what I assumed.

I braced for what was going to be me getting yelled at, but why is she just standing there? Her arms were crossed and she raised an eyebrow. Great, she was going to let me make fool out of myself. Well… more of one than I already was. Wait, why is she taking off her headband? And her dress?! SHE'S STRIPPING IN FRONT OF ME! What was going on?! I could feel my brain and heart race at the same time, and it only got worse as she took off the rest of her undergarments, leaving herself completely naked in front of me. I looked away, trying to keep my hormones in check and respect her, BUT DAMN, IT WAS HARD!

Okay Sonic, calm down; it's only the first time she's ever done this!

What an opportunity!

Get a hold of yourself, hedgehog! Calm down!

How? There's a drop-dead gorgeous woman in a bathroom with me who took off EVERYTHING in front of my eyes!

Yeah, that's fine and dandy, but show some respect and control! What is she playing at?! She's sending my psyche into a civil war, and what's her reasoning?!

"Sonic, there's no need to be modest. You can look at me." Easy for you to say. I couldn't speak. I stammered like an idiot, trying to gather myself. "Sonic, chill out." I finally turned around and tried with all my might to not stare at her "assets", but like I've already told myself, it was hard.

"A-Ames?" I forced out, sounding like a complete fool. "W-Why are y-you n-n-naked?"

"I have my reasons."

SHE WANTS IT.

No she doesn't, she's up to something!

YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!

"Reasons being?" I asked coyly. She slightly smirked. Was it just me, or do women and mixed signals go together like peanut butter and chocolate?

Then she started walking towards me. Oh, this was torture! Keeping myself in check when I have a beautiful girl, naked at that, and walking towards me and standing dangerously close to me was not an easy task. C'mon Sonic, concentrate! Concentrate on something! Her body? No, that's means I wouldn't be getting up from the ensuing hammer swings. I got it!

I took deep, methodical breaths and calmed myself down. She giggled. Yes, Amy, seeing me flustered must seem to be freaking hilarious to you. What are you playing at?

"Sonic?" she asked. "Do you love me?"

"Without a doubt," I replied sternly as I was now focused on her eyes. But I saw that she had her doubts. "Why do you ask? Did I do something wrong… besides my childish actions a minute ago?"

"It's just that, well, we've been dating for almost a year, and I'm just wondering if you're just using me? Y'know, just for my body and good looks." Ohhhhhhhh, now I understand.

"What brought this on?"

"I guess it started with night at Knuckles' and Rouge's wedding." I'll never forget that night. "You, and no pun intended, came right out of the blue that night and told me you loved me. It was always my dream to have you say those words to me, but I never asked you this before because I was too drunk on the reality of you and me together. But with you not acting like yourself, that being kinda like you said, a child, it brought up the question. It really just popped into my head. I know the last time you left, you came back, but now you have to go back again, and-."

"You think that I won't come back? Is that it?"

"No, I know you'll come back. But I was really wondering if you actually love me?"

"Ames, of course I do."

"I can hear you say it, but I'm not sure if you're really feeling it."

OUCH.

Of all people that have verbally wounded me, never did I think that it would be Amy to be on the top of that list.

"And let me guess," I started, "you think that putting yourself in this situation with me is going to potentially get the more animalistic and perverted side of me answer that question for me? To _really_ test me if I mean it?" She didn't speak, she just looked, and it was enough of an answer for me. I put my arms around her back and the back of her head. She took it the wrong way and tried to squirm away. But she couldn't, because I wouldn't let her.

"Amy, I'm trying to answer you, okay?" I said calmly.

"No! You're-!"

"Trying to do something to you that would break your heart? No, Amy, I would never stoop that low." She started to relax, but I could still feel her being very tense. "Amy, why would I hurt you? Why would I take advantage of you? Better yet, why would you think that I would do those things to you?! Amy, you know that I probably could have done that a long time ago, but I never did. Think about it! Did I want to? No! It's because I know that that would break your heart to the point of never healing again! You know that. I know that. I would never take advantage of a friend, _especially you_ , in any sense! That's not me! Sure, that night I saw you for the first time in over a year, and sure, I did think you were drop-dead gorgeous, and for the record, you still are, but I respect you too much and I love you too much to toy with your emotions! Maybe in the past I toyed too much, but not now! I've changed! I didn't fall in love with you've got good looks or because of your body. I'm not going to lie and say that it didn't help influence my decision, but I love the person you are, Amy! You were the kindest person I've ever known, and you still are! You're loyalty to me and our friends is unmatched. My loyalty to you is the same way!" I grabbed her head and brought it close so she could tell that I was telling the truth just from my eyes.

"You've helped me have a better life, you're the reason I keep fighting against evil! I do all those things so I can see your sweet face, kiss your lips, and have my love for you returned tenfold! You're my reason to live! You make my life brighter! Your love is my drug! I can't live without it!" I stopped for a minute to let her take it in. Her eyes welled up, seemingly terrified. "I want to do everything with you! The adventures we have, whether it's kicking butt, or kicking back! I want you to be my future! I want you. I LOVE YOU, AMY… and I always will, and I'll never stop."

I stopped again for her to try and comprehend it all. The look in her eyes now only had a single shred of doubt. It was otherwise hopeful, and I hoped that she believed me. I laid it all out for her. She wanted an answer, and I delivered, but one shred of doubt still lingered, so I had to get rid of it. "Look me in the eyes, and tell me that I'm wrong," I said with a distressed tone.

If that didn't convince her, then what more could I do? Well, there was one thing I hadn't done yet. I bowed my head and kissed her hard. I did not throw in my tongue, or try too much, I put a simple, but deep and loving kiss on her lips. I had turned tense myself in the heat of the moment, and her sweet, soft lips calmed me down as seemingly I melted. I took my lips back to see what her reaction was. She was in disbelief, whether it was that she (somehow) didn't believe me, or whether she was too shocked to speak after what I said… and I said everything that was in my heart.

A tear came down her face, and I wiped it away gently. She shed another and I wiped that one away too as she looked at me in my eyes. She sniffled as her eyes welled up. I put my hand to her face and gently rubbed her muzzle. She looked away to see the hand gracing her perfect face. Her eyes went back to mine. She squeaked out a small smile, and I returned it. My tender touch brought her hands to it, and she used them to press my hand onto hers, taking in every little bit of my affection, which I smiled warmly at.

She then put her arms around me and buried her face into my chest, sobbing. I hugged her tighter, with my right gripping her head, and my left around her back, both with a firm grip. I tried to get her to quiet herself, and it worked as I rubbed her head and played with her quills.

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry, beautiful."

"I had to know. I trusted that you wouldn't let me down. It's just… it's just…" She trailed off as I rubbed head more, rocking her gently like a small child.

"I understand, Ames… and there's nothing you need to be sorry about. If I were in your position, I'd probably feel the same way. I'm sorry for making you think that was why I loved you. I love you for who you are, not for yours looks. Those are nice too, but not as much who you are on the inside."

"Th-thank you, Sonic. I love you."

I kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, Amy. You can bet your life that I mean it." I felt her smile grow as her face was still buried in my chest. But it wasn't like that for long as she brought it up and kissed me. Pretty soon, I kissed her back, giving her more of the love she so desperately wanted and needed.

She broke it off and looked at me with her eyes welling up again, just with tears of joy. She turned on the shower and looked back at me devilishly. What was she doing? She offered me a hand, and looked at it oddly. I didn't know what was more off-putting. The smile or how she changed her mood on a dime.

"What are you doing?" I asked innocently.

"Well, I was thinking, since you did convince me, I was thinking about _rewarding_ you." She doesn't mean… "You look all hot and flustered, and we can't have you meeting the President tomorrow morning looking like a sweaty mess." Dohohoho! "And besides, it is my birthday, and you wouldn't want to disappoint the birthday girl, would you?" Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Was she being serious?!

"N-N-No!" Oh, boy… I don't know if I'm ready!

"Well then, get over here, or I'll make you see the President early." Without even thinking, I took off my signature red shoes and socks as well as my gloves. My legs began moving closer and closer to her until I was at the sliding door. "Good boy! Now, let me help you conquer that hydrophobia of yours." Before I could respond, she forced me into the shower, with her anxiously entering after I did. And with that, she closed the door.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _So... uh... yeah..._

 _I know what you're thinking right now. It's probably something along the lines of, "It's been a cute SonAmy tale so far, so why did this joke of a writer put something so sexual in?!" Well, before you start berating or questioning me for putting that whole situation in the last third of the chapter, please allow me to explain and defend myself first. Okay?_

 _Firstly, I said in the description/Author's Note for chapter 1 that this was based on an unfinished 3-part SonAmy fanfiction I found on DeviantArt. What happened in this chapter is more or less what happened in that unfished story. I did differ on a few things from it, mainly because it was too sexual (and didn't have a sexual filter unlike this chapter does) and because I wanted this story to be my own at the same time and try and establish some professionalism in the meantime. Like i said in the first chapter's description/Author's Note: the original story from which this is based on is not mine. And this shouldn't surprise you, but this chapter is the sole reason that I rated it M/Mature. Sure, the next chapter will have some suggestive themes (and i will be putting a filter on that too), but what happens in it is brief and considering this day and age's standards, it could pass for a T/Teen-rated tale._

 _Secondly, more on the differences of the two stories, some of the differences are, but are not limited to, 1. Sonic was more sexual in the original story; he loved Amy, don't get me wrong, but he was just as fascinated by her "natural assets". Don't think too hard on that one. 2. I switched G.U.N. and the U.F. for the U.S. Army and the President of the United States, respectively. I believe this story would take place on Mobius, not Earth. There are a few more differences, but those are the big ones._

 _Thirdly, I don't find anything wrong with Sonic and Amy being more realistic when it comes to adult feelings. This is my opinion, but if humans can exhibit all the emotions and feelings (sexual or not), and if Sonic and company are anthropomorphic animals that can feel and have the same emotions as a human, then why can't they be suggestive with each other? Besides, if it's just straight-shot romanticism with nothing else than kissing, hugging, and exchanging "I love you's", then the story gets stale (at least to me). I don't mean to sound offensive, but I'm just stating my opinion on the matter. You don't have to agree with it, but I do ask that you respect it._

 _Alright, i'm done explaining myself and I'm sorry for going off on that tangent. I just wanted you readers to understand. So when it comes to the next few chapters, I will be putting up ch. 7 this Saturday (July 25th). Chapter 8 will not be uploaded next week (I'm busy with work and the only free day i have during the week involves me going up to Green Bay, WI for the Green Bay Packers' annual stockholder's meeting. (The Bears Still Suck)). Instead, it'll be up August 4th, a Tuesday._

 _So, explaining aside, as always, all the characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA._


	7. 7: Temporary Reinstatement

**Ch. 7: Temporary Reinstatement**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

The morning sun rose up from the east as per usual, and of course it had to be right in my eyes. I felt my eyes trying to get their bearings, hence the frequent fluttering that they did. How was it that the sunlight hit me square in my eyes, but not Amy's when we were facing the same way? Is she just that lucky? Maybe she was so much of an angel that nothing bad ever happened to her.

I also found myself with my arms around her under the covers, but I wondered why we and the blankets were kinda wet and a bit sticky. My body conformed to hers beautifully as the hold I had on her was calm, but protective. Her long quills were in my face, and the sweetest smell of her strawberry-scented shampoo danced in between them, triggering my desires for morning fruit.

Wait, what happened last night? I couldn't think of anything, maybe because my brain still wasn't at 100%. Let's see, slightly damp covers… did either of us sweat last night? Wait. Sweat… bed… did we…? I felt around with my hands. My face started growing a devilish smile as I didn't feel a single article of clothing on her, not even a shred of her undergarments. Now I remember! After the hot shower, we went to bed early, and, well… the rest is now history.

Hold it, what time was it? I checked her digital clock that rested behind me to see it read 6:23 am. Thank goodness, I don't have to leave for Central City right away. I set up an alarm for half past seven (7:30) and went back to my girl. God, she was so warm, so soft, and all mine. I kissed her on the side of the head and began to drift off to sleep again. She stirred a bit, cracking her eyes open slightly to see me on top of her.

"Good morning," she said weakly and still half-asleep. "Sleep well?"

"You could say that," I joked, earning a slight giggle.

"What time is it?"

"Not quite 6:30."

"And when do you have to meet the President?"

"9 o'clock."

"When are you leaving?"

"A little after 8 o'clock, but until then, I'm staying with you." She turned around to get a better look at me, putting a hand on face, which I held graciously. She quickly slipped that hand behind my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. How could I deny her? I slid my hands to her waist as we stayed that way as we rested under the covers. God, she still tasted like last night.

When we stopped, she nuzzled her way into my chest. I kissed the top of her head, now holding her lovingly, like I never wanted to let go. And I didn't want to. I knew I would have to eventually, but that was still a while away, so I had to cherish it.

She rested on my chest, silently crying now. I knew why she did it. "Ames, you know I'll be back. I always return."

"That doesn't excuse me for worrying, does it?"

"I guess not, but I will say this. When I'm done, I'll never go back. Not for anything. You're too important to me and I love you."

"I love you, too. But what if-?"

"I don't return? Like I said, I'll be back. And one day, Ames, we'll be happy together forever 'til the day we die." Oh, did her eyes light up at that little nugget. She looked at me as if to say, 'Did you say what I think you just said?' "You heard that right, babe. And maybe someday, we'll have a kid or two running around us." She got her head to my level and put on another passionate kiss to my lips. I returned the favor, putting the effort in to convince her that I wasn't just saying that. I sincerely meant every word.

We stopped, still tired and groggy from the night's extra-curricular activities. She nuzzled herself into my chest again, and I put my arms around her to make her feel calm. If I could, I would never let her go. I would always hold her, protect her, sleep with her, get lost in her eyes, caress her face, play fight with her, stroke her quills, rub her gently up and down her back, put both of my arms around her again to show her how much I felt, and my little answer to her question from yesterday would ring true every day. And her arms would be around my body too. She was so soft, cute, adorable, loving, and those words still didn't do justice. Amy, you may know this, or may not, but you've saved me. You've saved me from my darker half. You give me life, you give me love, and you are _my_ hero. _She's my world, she's my everything. And she thinks she needs me._ God, I love you. More than you'll ever know.

"I wish we could stay like this… forever." I kissed her head once again and snuggled in closer.

"You and me both, Amy. You and me both." She began to drift back to sleep, using my fuzzy chest as her pillow. I held her closer still and fell back asleep.

XXXXXXX

I stared at the horizon as the early summer sun shined down. As it rose slowly, the temperature did do too. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, the cool breeze was extremely pleasant, and the birds sang their sweet tunes. It was getting to be that time again. This was the last time I would leave her. I swore by it. I wasn't going to leave her again. Not like this.

She snuck behind me sliding her arms gently around me, taking in the last time she'd get her arms around me, that is, until I returned. As she did that, she put her beautiful head onto my right shoulder.

"We've been here before, haven't we?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm." She made my goose bumps rise when she kissed the side of my neck.

"I'll make sure that this doesn't take too long. I'll be home before you know it."

"Don't I know it." She planted her lips onto my right cheek, purring as she did it. "Just be safe, alright?"

"I will." I turned around to face her, and got lost in her eyes once again. I'm going to miss those jade green things of beauty. "I'll keep in touch."

"Can I get one last kiss good-bye?" I chuckled, leaning my head down and grasping her head to get all of her. She carefully slid in her oral organ, so how I could not follow suit? When I did, it got a slight yelp out of her, a cute one at that that made me giggle all the more. But it was time, so I had to break it off.

"It's only a farewell, not a good-bye."

"What's the difference?"

"'Good-bye' refers to never seeing someone again. I know we'll be with each other when all's said and done, so to you I say, 'farewell', my rose." I took one of hands and kissed the top of it like a chivalrous knight would do in trying to court a fair maiden. With that, she let me go and I began walking away. I maneuvered my body so I turned to her and walked backwards. "I love you," I said before I would turn on the afterburners.

"I love you too," she said with a sad face. Trust me, Ames, I feel the same way. But I promise, I'll be back as soon as I possibly can. With that, I turned tail and sped away toward my next adventure, praying that this mission would actually be the last mission.

XXXXXXX

I skidded to a stop right at the front gates of his home in Central City. Go figure, it was the most secure home on the planet, with seemingly no way to break in. His house was our meeting place. Let's just get this over with. There's a girl back at home that needs me. I wouldn't care if people who knew that Ames and I were in love called me selfish that I wasn't saving the world as much as I used to, or that they needed me more. But ever since Eggman was thrown behind bars, global conquests were a thing of the past, only regulating myself to stopping small crime, because that's all there was these days.

I walked up to the main security gate. I didn't need to say a word, as they knew who I was and opened the gate for me. I saluted them for their efforts and continued my stroll inside. No turning back now. If I could be honest with myself, I never thought that I'd be back in this building. Nothing changed on the outside or inside. Still the presidents of years past hung on the walls, the usual tours went through the complex, secret servicemen roamed the long corridors, and the delicious smells of the cafeteria still sent a shiver down my spine… or at least they would had I not been extraordinarily teed off that I was being shanghaied back into the service.

There it was. The Octagon Office. Hector Wilson, or "Hex" as was he was better known as, saw me and buzzed me through the door. We exchanged a brief greeting, and I apologized for the previous day's events to which he forgave me. Other than that, there wasn't much conversation. I was here for business and business only. I had to leave my woman for this. He buzzed me in and wished me luck. I nodded and went in to begin this hopefully short business venture.

Walking in, I saw the Commander and the President from the door on the opposite side, striking up a small conversation. Obviously my old boss had finished his anecdote, hence Titus' small laughter. I stared at him longer than I should have, with contempt at that. But he didn't notice.

"SONIC, MY BOY!" Titus yelled enthusiastically the moment he saw me. He seemed too happy to see me. Granted this had life-or-death implications, but still, years of Amy's overly animated adoration had made me less than enthused to the situation if it wasn't her. And why is he stupidly smiling like that? The Commander wasn't that off-putting, since he just gave me a simple, firm handshake. Honestly, I wasn't all that surprised to see the Commander here, even if his name wasn't on that plague of a letter.

"Please, take a seat."

"If it's all the same to you sir, I'd rather stand."

"Alright, do what you gotta do." I stood in front of his desk between the two couches in the middle of the room, spaced comfortably away from each other, as the Commander had taken a place on the couch to my right.

"Sonic," he started again, "I can't thank you enough for doing this. It's good to have you back."

"Not from where I'm standing," I said dryly.

"What do you mean?"

"Permission to speak freely, Mr. President."

"Granted!" he said enthusiastically. Yeah, let's see how long that smile of yours lasts…

"Sir, I stand by my word that I said I would help you, but I have my own reasons for accepting this."

"Oh? Is it because you missed the action? The thrills? The notoriety?"

"And let's not forget the chance of me dying like a few of my partners did," I spat back. His smile left, leaving a concerned look. It took twelve seconds for him to lose it. I expected that smirk of his to be gone sooner. "Sir, I didn't agree to return just for any of that, so let's get that straight first. Secondly, I'm only helping because innocent lives are in danger, and the fact that my girlfriend, Amy, told me to do so."

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Sonic. The fact that you're dating-."

"Don't change the subject. Thirdly, I am here for business, and business only. Fourthly, I am not back permanently. I am here to save lives, but I am not staying. This is a temporary thing, and once I have done my part, I intend to live in peace without having to deal with U.F. government work. Fifthly, when I say that I'm done, it means _I'm done_. I did say that I would able to come back if the situation called for it, but you have the world's best G.U.N. agents at your disposal and one of the world's premier militaries at your beck and call? And you need me to help you when historically in wars, the U.F. has never lost a single one? So you need me to come in, because your men can't do the job?"

"It's not like that at all, Sonic."

"No, that's _exactly_ what it is, sir. Your men can't get any headway in battle, so you called me in as sort of a secret weapon; an ace in the hole, if you will. I have agreed to do what you've asked of me, but only because of the lives that are stake. I left G.U.N. for a reason. Shadow said it best when he said, and I quote, 'This life isn't for everybody.' The deaths that I saw in my time as an agent don't come up as much as they used to, but they still haunt me. And speaking of Shadow, where is he?! If there's anyone who's more than capable of dealing with this, Shadow would be at the top of my list. Or what about Rouge? I'm pretty sure the best agent in all of G.U.N. could at least help!"

"Agent Shadow is with Rouge in Spagonia regarding a black market arms dealer," the Commander commented. Figures that they'd be away now.

"Understandable, but it still shouldn't have to come to me having to get begged in a letter from you, Mr. President. You two are both fully grown men! You're both big boys! You should be able to take care of yourselves! You didn't need to call me in."

"For the record, Sonic," the Commander began, "It wasn't my idea to bring you back."

"I know that, sir. I know that because your name wasn't on that letter I received a few days ago, and that sure wasn't your penmanship." When I ended that little statement, I turned back to Titus. "That reminds me of something else, Mr. President. Remember the last time I was in this room? Do you remember what I said? I said that I was done. ' _Done_ done', as you put it. You said that you respected my decision. I know that the Commander has. You? Hell no! For ten months I've been gone. That's 304 days! Forty-three-and-a-half weeks! And what have you done, sir? You call me twice a week to try and convince me to return! Jeez, man, I'm flattered that you wanted me back, but there's a fine line between flattery and creepy! Eighty-six times you have called, singing the same old song over and over again! I told you that I was out and you told me you respected my decision! But you having called me EIGHTY-SIX FREAKING TIMES is like slapping me in the face! You have not respected my choice since I first told you! I could tell that you were upset that you would be missing me as an agent from your body language alone! You're acting like a spoiled child! And the fact that you harass me about coming back is ridiculous! You're the freaking President of the United-freaking-Federation! You're a world leader! One of the biggest ones at that! And what have you been doing? You've trying to crawl back up to me, and you have practically begged for me to come back with little reasoning, other than the fact that to me, you're just a fan-boy who just likes to see me every chance that you can get! Like I said, there's a fine line between flattery and creepy. You're a professional politician, START ACTING LIKE IT!"

When I got done with my rant, Max looked absolutely destroyed, unable to think of any kind of rebuttal. The Commander sat there, stunned that I had talked to the President of the U.F. in such a way. His shock turned back to his usual stoic look as he looked at me. I think he knew that I was right and that I had a legitimate argument against him. When I turned back toward Titus, he looked at me, plenty irked off. His face humored me. He was probably thinking of what he was going to say back to me.

"What ever happened to the Sonic who was care-free? The Sonic who laughed at the face of villainy? What happened to _that_ Sonic?"

"He grew up. Seeing death and the things that I've seen and done tend to change you. Even someone as cocky I was, and still am today, finds out that life isn't going to be all chili dogs and happiness."

"Something tells me you're lying, Sonic. C'mon, what happened to you that made you weaker than the man you were?" I didn't answer. I just stared him down as I felt my anger build up. "Is it the fact that you have a girlfriend these days? Did she put those ideas into your head?" You did not just say… "Is she the one who made you so weak? Is it?!" I wasn't going to lose my cool, but my skin turned darker and darker the more words he shot off. "Aren't you the ironic one! You call me the fan-boy, but now, you're dating the fan-girl that stalked you night and day! It only figures that a girl like that would make you so soft!"

THAT'S IT!

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK ABOUT MY AMY LIKE THAT!" I screamed. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO BLAME MY OUTLOOK ON LIFE BECAUSE OF HER?! SHE IS THE STRONGEST PERSON I'LL EVER KNOW! SHE'S MY ROCK, MY SOUL, MY ROOTS, AND SHE COMPLETES ME! YOU CALL ME 'SOFT' BECAUSE OF A WOMAN, YOU SEXIST PRICK?! SHE MAKES ME STRONGER EVERY DAY THAT I AM WITH HER! AND NOW BECAUSE I HAVE TO CLEAN UP A MESS THAT YOU COULDN'T FIX YOURSELF, BECAUSE OF YOU BEING THE MOST SORRY EXCUSE FOR A WORLD LEADER I'VE EVER SEEN, I CANNOT BE WITH HER! YOU TOOK ME AWAY FROM THE MOST CARING, LOVING, AND THE STRONGEST PERSON I'LL KNOW!" Oh, the look on his face was priceless! And I could sense that the Commander was just sitting back, watching the fireworks go off, with a cocky grin to say to him, 'You shouldn't have said that'.

"AND IF YOU SAY THAT EVERYTHING SHE DOES MAKES ME WEAK; THE LOVE SHE GIVES ME, HER CONSTANT BELIEF IN ME WHENEVER THE ODDS ARE AGAINST ME, ALWAYS CHEERING ME ON, ALWAYS SUPPORTING ME THROUGH THICK AND THIN, THEN YOU ARE WRONG! YOU CALL ME WEAK BECAUSE OF HER?! SHE'S THE REALLY ONLY REASON I'M HERE! SHE CONVINCED ME TO DO THIS, AND YOU'RE CALLING THE ONLY REASON THAT I AM HERE WEAK?! YOUR VIEW ON 'WEAK' IS WRONG, TITUS! IT'S WRONG! YOU HAVE PISSED ME OFF SOMETHING FIERCE, MAX. YOU ARE MAKING ME SOMETHING THAT I ABSOLUTELY HATE AND DESPISE, SOMETHING THAT CAN EASILY DO SOMETHING THAT I WILL HATE MYSELF FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE… AND YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF I CROSS THAT LINE."

"A-A-Are you threatening m-me?" he stuttered, now incredibly terrified.

"Threating? No. Promising? YES. But I will not cross that line. Now that you have pissed me off into the middle of next week, I am seriously considering walking out that front door, and shutting you out for the rest of my life!" I got right to his face from across his desk. "DON'T YOU EVER INSULT ME OR THE GIRL I PLAN ON SPENDING THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH, EVER AGAIN! YOU GOT THAT?!"

I turned back to the Commander, and his face was calm as I had sensed. Just with a look, I knew that I had the upper hand. Then I turned my head and attention back to Titus, who was now in his seat with a destroyed look on his mug… again. That's what you get for pissing me off, Max. It felt great to get that anger out, and I had no regrets.

"Sonic," he said weakly. What do you have to say, you piece of political garbage? "Please, I'm sorry for what I said. Please forgive me."

"I'll make this clear for you Mr. President. When I get done, I do not want you to call me for _any_ reason, I want to be left alone to live my life, and I do not, will not, go back to working for G.U.N. or you. I will do this mission, not for you, but so I can just get it over with and so I can get back to a person who has more heart and soul than you could ever dream of having. It was nice seeing you, Titus."

I turned away from the wreckage of a man and faced the Commander. "Let's get this straight, boss. I know you didn't want me on this op, but now that you do, I want this done _my_ way: quickly. You know my patience is wearing thin."

"So I see," he said. "Let's walk and talk."

"Gladly." He got up and headed towards the door with me in tow. I slammed the door behind us, leaving that suit-wearing trash to his wallowing of self-pity. Pfft. Some world leader he is.

"You'll be deployed tonight to our fronts in the deserts 101.5 miles west of Shamar. That's where we're at our weakest."

"You have a timetable for when I can get back to my life?"

"Excuse me?"

"How long is this going to take before I can go back to my girl? Give me a ballpark guess on time."

"Could be a minimum one month, maximum six." Commander says what?!

"SIX MONTHS?!"

"Possibly even more than that."

"Well, I'm telling you now that I'm not fighting for half of a year!"

"With you? I think two months would be more than enough for you."

"One day is more than enough, but I will stay until the job is done. I've never abandoned anyone before, and I won't start now."

"I have no doubt. Before we get started, I have to ask… how good of shape are you in?"

I chuckled at his inquiry. "If you're asking me if I've lost a step, I'll tell you now that I'm in the best shape of my life. You don't need to doubt me."

"When have I ever?"

I scoffed at his question. "You sound like Amy." He laughed wholeheartedly. He reached into his right pocket and gave me something I never thought I would ever see again considering I didn't. My credentials, all of them now updated since I departed.

"Make sure to return those when you're done."

"Sir, if I never wanted to see these things again in the first place, what makes you think I'd even think about keeping them?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Surprise! Chapter 7's a day early! *Throws a single strand of confetti because I'm cheap* The reason why it's early is because something was sprung on me for tomorrow (Saturday) and will be all-day event. I wouldn't have time to upload the next part, so it's here for your reading pleasure... or displeasure. Whichever works for you._

 _As far as chapter content, I know that the mature part of this was brief, but to me, it still warranted the filter. Personally, I think that if the last chapter wasn't as sexual, this part wouldn't call for an M/Mature rating. Based on what we see on TV and in the movies (and the whole concept of modern censorship in general), what's implied in the first part would probably only need a T/Teen rating._

 _Remember what i said a few descriptions/Author's Notes ago. I said that you'd be seeing a lot more of Max Titus, or something close to that. But even more, with this story, it is important that you take into consideration that everything that happens in Part I sets up Part II, especially considering that's the larger half and that there's more in it. You're welcome to venture ideas as to what it could be._

 _Before I let you go back to living your lives, there is a chance that the next chapter might actually be published next Tuesday [July] the 28th. It all depends on which time I get home. The earlier i get home, the better chance I'll get a chance to upload it. If I can't, then it'll be up August the 4th._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA._


	8. 8: Homecoming Party-Crasher

**Ch. 8: Homecoming Party-Crasher**

TWO-AND-A-HALF WEEKS LATER

 _***Sonic's POV***_

The Commander said a month at the earliest that this could take me. HA! He of all people should've known that I when I was going to fight, I was going to fight angry and fast, emphasis on _fast_. Now seventeen days later, I'm now boarding the jet that Titus sent me as an apology for saying things that nearly made me go full Dark. The door was closed behind me as the plane was up in the air in no time.

When I had the green light to move about the luxurious vessel, I made my way to the on-board shower. Good grief, I needed one. I had to spend the last three days without cleaning myself because I threw myself into work just so I could get home quickly. There was a time or two when things could have easily been bad. _Really bad_. But I survived, and still looked handsome as ever when I got out and saw my reflection in the steamy mirror.

I got a hold of my phone and started dialing Cream, putting it on the speaker as I poured out a whiskey-and-cola from the on-board mini-bar and sat down. It felt amazing to finally relax after going through what I had to do. An ice-cold drink in my hand and now a check-up to see if things back home had gone awry or not. I could've just zoomed back home myself and shave off a few hours to see Amy, but I _needed_ some rest and relaxation.

"Hello?" the rabbit said, finally picking up.

"Cream?" I asked.

"Mr. Sonic! It's so good to hear from you! How's that mission coming along?"

"Done and done. I'm actually on my way home now."

"Really? That's great!"

"You're telling me! Anyway, the reason I'm calling is that you left me some weird and vague and voicemail the other day."

"I was calling you regarding that item I helped you pick out. It came yesterday in my mail."

"FINALLY!"

"The reason why I didn't blab it out loud when I called you earlier is that Amy was with me at the time, and nearly opened the parcel.

"Well, that explains that. Say, how am I going to get access to my _item_?"

"Well," she said in quitter tone, "we're planning a surprise party at Amy's house for you tonight. If you're planning on coming tonight, I can give it to you there."

"Sounds good!"

"Oh, she just got out of the shower now! Did you want to talk to her?"

"YES!"

"Alright, hold on, Mr. Sonic!" I heard some distant conversation between the two, but I decipher out a yell for my name. She must've been so happy to finally talk to me.

"Sonic?!"

"Good morning, angel! How are you doing?"

"It's… it's so good to hear your voice," she whimpered.

"The feeling's mutual, beautiful. How're you holding up?"

"I just wish you were home, Sonic."

"Me too, Ames. Me too. But the good news is that I'm on my way home now."

"REALLY? OH, MY GOD, SONIC! ARE YOU DONE?!"

"I'm done. I decided to take a plane home because I needed to relax. Kinda hard to do that when the bullets are flying. Well, and I also needed some rest… and a stiff drink."

"YOU'RE NOT HURT, ARE YOU?"

"A few scrapes and scratches, but otherwise, I'm still the same hedgehog; big ego and all."

"When are you gonna be home?" she asked, almost begging.

"Well, I've only been in the air for about thirty minutes and it's a ten-hour flight, so I'll be in the air for a while. I should be touching down at around… a little after 6:30 at night according to your clock."

"Over nine hours?" she asked, obviously disappointed. "Awwww…"

"Ames? Listen to me. I just need you to wait a little bit longer. The first thing I'm going to do is buy you two dozen red roses, and then I'll be coming straight to you. Sound like a plan?"

I heard a loud sniffle. "Oh, Sonic, you're such a romantic."

"I know, right?" She scoffed at my usual self-arrogance. "One more thing, Amy, before I have to get some rest. I'll have a surprise waiting for you when I see you. It'll be more romantic than the twenty-four flowers I'll give you."

"What is it?!"

"Oh, come on now! That would ruin the surprise!"

"Can you at least give me a hint?"

"Nope. Sorry, gotta leave you guessing."

"Oh, you're no fun!"

"You weren't saying that on your birthday!" I quipped.

"SONIC! Oh, you're lucky Cream didn't put this thing on speaker!"

"Hey, you threw it out there. I just hit it out of the park."

"Sometimes you're impossible."

"But at all times, I'm all yours." I heard her sigh like a hopeless romantic. "Alright, Amy, I have to get some rest."

"Wait! Since you said that you had a surprise for me, I need to tell you that you'll have one from me…." She sounded a bit embarrassed to say that. Whatever.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, but if you're not going to tell me until you see me, then I won't either."

"Fair enough. Alright, I'll call you when I touch down."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Amy. I'll be at your place around 7 o'clock. Deal?"

"Deal," she confirmed. "Get some rest."

We exchanged a good-bye and hung up. I quickly downed the rest of my drink, and headed for the small bedroom. As I slipped under the covers, I couldn't stop thinking about how I'd be able to tell her. I ran through scenario after scenario, playing out my arrival and my surprise for her. But she said that she had a surprise too. I began to wonder what it could be and why she sounded so… _nervous_ about it, but I fell asleep before I could think up anything logical.

XXXXXXX

"Sonic? Sonic? Come in, Sonic!" I woke up, looking around groggily for the one who was calling me. It sure as hell wasn't Amy. She didn't have a voice that sounded like pure testosterone. "Sonic, are you back there?" No, I bailed midflight without opening a door.

I got out of bed cursing under my breath, heading to a communicator near the light switch that was a tapped into the pilots' room. "What do you want?" I asked in a crabby tone into the mic.

"Oh, good; you're still alive back there!" The urge to incur my sarcastic wrath beyond what I was currently thinking was now at dangerous levels. "We just wanted to let you know that we're beginning our final descent into Central City International Airport."

"Good. *BIG YAWN* What's the time?"

"6:28 PM in Central City." Huh. It really was a ten-hour flight, and to think that I was still pretty crabby even after more than nine hours of sleep. "You're going to want to buckle up."

"Alright, thanks for the heads-up and the ride home."

I went into the next room and got braced for the bumpy ride. After we had touched the ground, I couldn't help but feel a bit relieved to be back in the country. And for another reason especially. Only thirty more minutes, Sonic. Thirty minutes.

When the big, old jet-airliner came to complete stop, the pilots opened doors for me. What I was greeted to was the complete opposite of what I expected. Blinded by the shutterbugs, all screaming out for my name. The press. One thing about being a hero that had always been annoying, more annoying than Amy's hugs from a lifetime ago, but not as bad as Titus' fan-boyish antics, were the reporters, the paparazzi, the shutterbugs, and the crazed fan-girls in amongst them, practically begging for a kiss and much more than that.

I descended the staircase onto the pavement and was bombarded with questions, blinded by cameras, made deaf by the reporters clamoring for questions and fan-girls wanting my attention. I used to like the publicity and notoriety, but now it made me nauseous. I guess I was so used to being alone in the country whenever I was with Amy, or any of my old friends for that matter. I enjoyed the privacy and calm life I had and will have again soon enough.

"Sonic!" I stopped on dime. There was no denying that voice. Just hearing it sent a chill up my spine, as well as getting me fired up and angry. But not here, not with so many people. The last thing I needed was to come home from winning a war and then verbally badger out the President. The fake smile I had on when the cameras were on me was still in full effect as I saw Max Titus and the Commander at a limousine beyond the shutterbugs and whatnot. The Commander had a genuine smile on as did the President.

"Mission accomplished?" asked the Commander. I nodded. He offered a handshake which I took, and the shutterbugs had a field day with it. But they had more of one when I had to shake Titus' hand. One of his bodyguards opened up the door and we went in, getting us out of the reporters' midst, but without leaving yet.

"I think you said 'a month', Commander, for a timetable," I said.

"I'm glad I was wrong. Something told me that I would be." We all chuckled at the little statement.

"Sonic?" asked Titus. "Thank you for doing this. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"Yeah, well, it really wasn't much trouble, just more of an inconvenience," I jabbed.

"You're still sore about-?"

"Yes," I interrupted. "I am. Now, since I've done your task, I am going back to my girlfriend and my friends. My girl is throwing a party at her house for my homecoming, and I promised her I'd be there at 7."

"But Sonic, you need to come with me to the-."

"I don't need to do anything. I made a promise to my girl that I'd come with two dozen roses and be there at when I said I was going to. Now if you'll excuse me…" I took out the documentation that my old boss had given to me when I was temporarily reinstated and handed them to him.

"Thank you again, Sonic," he said stoically, shaking my hand again, nodding as I did it.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need I have two dozen roses to buy and a girl to see." Before anyone could speak, I got of the car and blasted away from the airport, breaking the sound barrier in the process, and stirring up a mighty wind.

It didn't take too long to find the first half of my present to Amy, and I could only imagine how I would tell her the second half of it. I wouldn't do it out of the blue, I would have to work my way into it. Maybe a little conversation to start off after I gave her the roses, then I'll just hold her as she does the same to me. I needed her love _badly_. I needed to see her face. Her angelic voice can only do so much. I needed her to say "I love you", and I needed to say it back to her.

Wait, Cream said something about a surprise party, didn't she? I slowed down my pace to a walk when I was about fifty yards from her house, walking silently with the twenty-four sweet-smelling flowers still in my grasp. I could see a few silhouettes of other friends in there. I'd know Silver's straight-up facial quills anywhere, I could see a large crocodile being followed by a horned chameleon, a certain bat's big ears, and many more familiar physical traits. They were hurrying to their positions and the lights went out. Somebody must've seen me coming or it was closer to 7:00 than I thought, and then I got to the door.

I was about to knock when a beautiful idea came to mind. It was a _surprise_ party, but who said that they needed to surprise _me_? I silently backed away and crouched, making as little noise as possible, making sure I was out of the line of sight (via the house's windows) of those ready to spring a trap. I smiled as I heard them through the open windows when they told each other to stay absolutely quiet. I made it to her upstairs' bedroom's window and jumped up to it in one motion, still silent as ever. I'll have to thank Shadow and Rouge for teaching me these physical stealth tactics.

I opened the screen opening and entered, walking through her open door into a hallway and overlooking the staircase. Now how was I going to get to the light switch? Surely they'd hear me if I just went straight there, and there were too many people to get to it cleanly. Espio! That's it! Luckily, he was on the outskirts of the hiders and I had enough light to see that he had a shuriken star on him. Thankfully due to my stealth abilities, better than the ninja's own, I descended the stairs, swiped a star from him, and backed away slowly. Oh, this was gonna be gooooood. I eyed up the light switch. I only had one shot at this. I only needed one. A perfectly placed throw hit the switch dead on and the sudden light stupefied the group.

"SURPRISE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Everyone jumped about a foot out of their skins, all startled at what I had done. Then they looked at me all with bewildered faces at how I was able to turn the tables on them. "Man, you guys suck at throwing surprise parties! I thought you were supposed to surprise _me_!"

"We were!" exclaimed my brother from another mother. "How did-?"

"I know that were doing this? Well, I saw you all running around inside getting your spots, the lights went out, you went dead quiet, and Cream told me beforehand." Everyone looked at Cream, giving her the death stare as she did the same to me. "You shouldn't tell me these things, Cream. You know I have a big mouth!"

Someone tapped my shoulder twice. I surveyed the room and saw one beautiful girl not in the room. I only smiled. "Are those for me?" she asked.

"Well, I did say I'd be giving you two dozen roses, didn't I?" I turned around to meet her beautiful jade green eyes once more. A tear ran down, ruining her blush. A warm smile graced her muzzle, melting my heart at how well it suited her. "Do you like them?" I asked as I offered her them. Just like last time, she threw them aside and gave me a loving hug. I hugged her back, taking in all of her emotions. As the rest of the groupies clapped for my return, we gripped each other tighter, never faltering. I missed her. It felt so wonderful to have this beautiful girl back in my arms, giving her all of my adoration, knowing that the feeling was more than mutual. My arms rubbed her slender back. Why are you so soft? How do you stay this way? I repositioned myself, but we still held onto each other. The joyous tears continued to rain down as her smile grew even more adorable.

"Welcome home," she said softly.

"I am now." I took my hands to put them behind her head and brought her in quickly. For the first time in two-and-a-half weeks, I had her lips around mine. She was my home. We didn't really care if the rest of our buddies were grossed out at our action. We missed each other. Some had an idea of what love was, but not our version of it. She was always going to be there when I would return, when I messed up, when she would mess up, or when we needed each other.

She tasted exactly like I remembered her, like strawberries. Was it that she chewed fruity gum before I got here? Maybe a new flavor of toothpaste? Or maybe she had the fruit to eat prior to this? Whatever it was, I wanted more. I slipped my oral organ in, making our friends uncomfortable. Screw them, this was my girl. I respected her. I loved her. She trusted me enough to do this without penalty. I could tell we were getting a little too carried away, given that we were getting faster and faster. I only stopped when the rest of my friends all made gagging noises. She was disappointed, as was I, but this was a homecoming party. It wasn't a make-out session, although we clearly made it one.

"Get a room, why don't you?" asked Rouge with a snarky tone. Already did.

XXXXXXX

An hour passed and Amy stuck to me the entire time, holding me in some way, shape, or form for most of the party. I didn't mind it; being in her arms. We exchanged kisses the entire night as we chatted up with our friends. This was the first time since Rouge and Knuckles had gotten married that we were all in the same place. Shadow and Rouge had gotten back from assignment prior to my return; Maria and Knuckles were here with their respective spouses; Tails was here too, although a bit taller than I remember now standing at 4'-5"; Cream and Vanilla were here as well, and I'd need Cream's help with my surprise. The Chaotix hovered over the snack table all night. Blaze, Marine, and Silver had made the trip from the Sol Dimension to see me again. And speaking of royalty, my sister Sonia and brother Manic mingled within the crowd as well. The only ones that weren't here were the Babylon Rogues and my mom.

We had a few drinks, but I was taking it slow. I wish that I could say the same for Vector, who was about to-, *CRASH* who had crashed into the food platter. At least there weren't any chili dogs there. Good grief Vector, MODERATION. Now the question was how he was going to get home and not get heckled the rest of the night for destroying the rest of the delicious food spread that Amy had made.

We were both on the couch, relaxing and enjoying each other's presence. She was leaning on my left shoulder, with gently wrapped arms around me. I turned my head and kissed her forehead, earning a slight giggle.

"It's so great to have you back," she said sincerely. I didn't know how to respond with words, so I nuzzled her face to show that I cared. She brought her face to mine and we shared a small kiss. Then it started turning serious as we did it again, but we took our time. I put my left arm around her back, rubbing her softly, and she put more power into the kiss because of it. I swiftly lied down on the couch as she lied on top of me, still lip-locked as I put both my hands on her waist. I love you, Amy. And you're a great kisser too. Why are you so perfect? Why are so loving? How could you, even though I ran away so many times? The fact that you're still here with me just makes me want you for all eternity more and more. I want to make your dreams come true tonight.

"Didn't Rouge tell you two to get a room?" The question embarrassed both us and we stopped to see at who was making cracks at us. Cream stood there, snickering, barely able to contain her laughter. She was still the nice girl that her mother raised, but as she grew older, she also grew sassy.

"Very funny, Cream. Well, since you're here now, I guess I can give Amy my surprise."

"That's right! What'd you get me, Sonic?!"

"Uh… Mr. Sonic, that can wait." What?!

"Excuse me, Cream?"

"Hold off on the hostilities. There's someone here who needs to talk to you."

I repeat… WHAT?! I looked at Amy, and judging by her expressions, was just as puzzled as I was. "You just invited all of our friends, right?" I asked, and she nodded. So who was here? "Who is it then, Cream?"

"Uh… you should see for yourself." Oh, just say it Cream. Fine. Don't tell me. I got off of Amy and helped her off the loveseat and looked to the doorway.

OH COME ON!

I felt my blood pressure and temperature rise to unhealthy and dangerous levels. Doesn't this yahoo have a global alliance to run?! Why is he here?! And better yet, HOW THE HELL DID HE FIND ME?!

Amy saw my rage cover my face like a spa facial treatment and grabbed my arm. "What is it, Sonic?"

"Amy, I thought it was only _you_ who could find me anywhere, even when I was hiding. Turns out I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" I pointed to the door and she who I saw. President Maximilian Joseph Titus in the house and he was escorted by a few Secret Service guardsmen… and _uninvited_.

"That's the man who wishes to speak with you," said Cream.

"Is that President Titus?" asked Amy.

"Yeah," I grumbled.

"Why is he here?"

"Dunno. Did he say anything to you, Cream?" She shook her head sideways. "Alright, better go see what this hack of a politician wants."

"Sonic, _play nice_ ," Amy warned. I left her and made my way to the irritating politician. He had better have a _good_ reason for being here. I hate party-crashers, especially when it was _my_ party.

When he saw me, I saw an unnerving twinkle in his eye. This was not the first time that I thought that even Amy wasn't this bad at stalking me years ago. At least Amy was too much of a good friend and fighter where I could stand her (if her hammer was out of the equation, that is).

"Sonic, my boy!" he exclaimed. His enthusiasm was going to make me break out in hives. Go away. I didn't return pleasantries. "I'm glad I found you!"

"Mr. President, what are you doing here? Better yet, how did you find me?" I asked, swallowing the urge to tell him to go take a long walk off a short pier.

"Well, you did say you were going to see your girlfriend…" Way to go, Sonic. Well, it's not the first time my big mouth was my undoing. "… and I need to talk to you."

"This is hardly the time."

"I know that, but it's important."

"Important as in…?" He was hesitant to answer. What's he hiding? "Answer the question, sir."

"Is there somewhere we can talk?" Is there? Probably. Do I want to? Heck no. But I just wanted him out, and if that meant having to sit through something "intelligent" he had to say, so be it.

"Follow me and make this quick." He nodded and we walked toward the staircase. His guards remained in tow, surrounding him. An uneasy feeling came over the party, as all my friends, sober or otherwise, saw me and my former "boss" walking upstairs for a moment of privacy. As I ascended the staircase, I saw Rouge and Shadow with very intrigued and confused faces. I had little doubt that they were just as puzzled as the rest of us why the U.F. leader was at my homecoming party. I jerked my head to say "follow me". They seemed to understand my gesture, nodding themselves.

Upstairs, Amy had a doorway that she didn't open all that often that lead to a spiral staircase that led to the roof of her house. She used this every so often to catch some rays and read peacefully in the summer sun from time to time. But now it was dark; the sky was blanketed in bright stars, joined by a moon that would be full in three days' time. A beautiful night if there ever was one. Or it was until ol' Max here showed up with his goon squad.

Upon surveying the house, the outside was crawling with the guys, leaving me to wonder how many cars it took to bus in this much security. The head serviceman was one guarding the President, saying that the area was secure. I turned around to get this over with and talk to him.

"Sir, I have something planned for tonight. So the faster we get this done, the better. Okay?"

"Understood, Sonic. I just swung by to drop off a few things." A _few_ things? What things? He reached into his left pocket and offered a black velvet case. Upon opening, it was another medal for a good service that I had gotten board of receiving, if not guilty at some points. "On behalf of the United Federation and G.U.N., I would like to bestow to you the Medal of Freedom, for helping us win the war in Shamar." He gave it to me and began a clap that only went as far as those guards immediately around him.

"Thanks… I guess," I said uncomfortably. Now leave!

"I know that you were in a rush earlier, and I never got a chance to personally give it to you."

"You could've just mailed it. You really didn't need to hand-deliver it. You _really_ didn't need to." Get the hint. And then leave. And it doesn't have to be in that order.

"Well, I needed to give you something else, Sonic." Oh, yeah. He said "a few things", didn't he? So what was it? The key to Central City? A dozen fresh chili dogs? Him not bothering me for the rest of my life?

He snapped his fingers and one of his goons reached into his suit and grabbed a yellow folder. Titus grabbed it and handed it to me. I looked down at the thing. I shot him a confused look.

"What is this?" I asked with a twinge of annoyance in the query. I flipped the parcel over and read in red and capitalized letters "CONFIDENTIAL". YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

"WHAT IS THIS?" I asked angrily again.

"Your next assignment. You leave tomorrow morning," he said smugly. And then he gave me the same G.U.N. credentials, badge and all, that I handed over to the Commander over an hour ago.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"Alright then." I dropped the fat, manila folder to the ground. "WHAT PART OF ' _I AM DONE_ ' ARE YOU NOT GETTING?!"

"Sonic, please let me-."

"Hold on. HOOOOLD ON, SKIPPY. I TOLD YOU TO YOUR FACE THAT THIS LAST FLING I DID WAS A ONE-TIME, I REPEAT, A _ONE-TIME_ THING. I told you that I was done! I do not want any part of G.U.N. anymore!"

"Sonic, please let me explain." I controlled my emotions on the outside and let him speak. "I'm only doing this in the best interest of the U.F. and G.U.N." Great… politics. My favorite topic. "You're the best agent we've ever had. Better than Rouge and Shadow combined. You have the abilities and strength to do things I have never seen out of anyone before. I-. Sorry, _we_ , as in the people of the U.F., need you to come back permanently for the best interests of all the people in the Federation." I stood silently for a few seconds taking it all in. But as they ticked, my rage grew more and more.

"Sir, this sounds more like a political statement more than anything else. I _hate_ getting political. If I wanted that life, I would've stayed with my mom all these years and be groomed to be a king with all the responsibilities that along go with it. And frankly sir, does the Commander know about this?" He looked away nervously. "I thought as much. My guess is that you swiped the badge just to give it back to me so you could try, and FAIL miserably I might add, to get me back in the game. Well too bad, sir. I DO NOT WANT BACK IN. And I also know that you just teed off the two best agents G.U.N. has to offer." I snapped my fingers, and falling to the ground was Rouge and Shadow, who were silently hearing every last bit of the conversation as Shadow was being held up in the air by Rouge. Titus was a bit surprised by their sudden arrival, and the guards took out their guns, but put them away quickly when they realized who they were. My colleagues did not look all too pleased at Titus either.

"These two are the best G.U.N. agents that you'll ever have. Not me."

"Rouge, Shadow, this is a private conversation," said the President sternly.

"No. There's a mission debriefing going on, so that makes this is a G.U.N.-related conversation. I think we have as much right to be here as you do, sir," hissed Shadow. Being called second fiddle to yours truly? That'll get Shadow mad on any day of the week.

"Calm down, Shadow," said Titus, now more nervous than before.

"Sir, you were the one to call Shadow inferior to me. You shouldn't tell him to calm down. Maybe try apologizing…?" I quipped.

"That can wait. Sonic, you have to understand why I'm doing this. I need you back with us. You're the only one I can trust to make sure we all stay safe from our enemies."

"I already do that."

"Good! So I expect you on the next flight-."

"NO! First of all, the difference between my definition of me saving the world, and yours is that mine isn't fueled by any kind of political bias. Second, I have not accepted any kind of re-entry into G.U.N. and I will not come back. And third, you can take this classified file," I said while picking it up as well as my credentials, "and give it to someone else."

"Sonic, please, you have to return!"

"I don't have to do anything! Listen to this, Mr. President. The main threats to this world are either dead or in jail. You are the leader of the planet's biggest international allied initiative that isn't my mother's rule. You have access to one of the world's most powerful militaries. And you have to lean on somebody like me to save us all? What a joke! I will not be alive forever, sir. Sooner or later, I'll be gone for all time. And if, _IF_ I were to join back up, when I die, who would there be? Nobody! Because you would send me out first at the first sign of trouble, kick your feet up and say 'Oh, Sonic's got this. No need for us to do anything! He'll protect us all!' Well guess what? I will not always be there to save us, sir! Even I can't be in more than one place! If you have me do all your dirty work for you, like I did in Shamar, then you'll become so weak and defenseless when I'm gone that you won't know what to do! I will help out a person for the RIGHT REASONS. I don't want to have to help out a person for political reasons! I do what I do for the ethical reason because it's right! And your politics and my ethics do not always go hand-in-hand!

"I do not want this life anymore! I told that to you straight to your face and to the face of the Commander! He was willing to let us part ways, so why can't you?! You agreed that when I was done that I would be done. DONE. And now you're going to be like some spoiled, little, bratty child that takes it back because he's not getting what he wants? Are you kidding me?! You are supposed to be an honorable man; a man that is honest with people like me and to be respectful! And now you're going back on your word, _YOUR WORD_ , which dictated that I could be left alone! Where's the honor in that, Titus?! Where is it?! I'd _love_ to know where the hell it is, sir!

"So no, Mr. President. I will not accept this mission, or any other mission for you or G.U.N. for as long as I live! I want my life back, and you would be taking my freedom and everything that I love and care about away, just so you could save yourself some face and grief, pop a top on cold one and say, 'He's our little weapon. We'll never lose with him on our side.' I will never accept any kind of re-admittance into G.U.N.! And frankly sir, I am getting pretty tired of you harassing me so often for trying to get back in the game! It goes back to you not giving a damn about what _I_ want, but rather what your bratty little self wants!

"Just so I end this now, let's recap. I will never return, I will never want to return, stop harassing me with the constant attention or I will go to court about this matter, and finally, START ACTING LIKE A MAN AND A LEADER OF THE PEOPLE! STOP ACTING LIKE A LITTLE CHILD EXPECTING SOMEONE LIKE ME TO FIGHT YOUR BATTLES FOR YOU, AND THEN GET TO SEE ME ALL THE FREAKING TIME BECAUSE YOU ARE THE LIVING DEFINITION OF AN OBSESSIVE FAN-BOY! I'M SICK OF IT! NOW STAY OUT OF MY LIFE!"

I breathed heavily trying to catch my breath. I didn't think I would blow up that much, but I'm glad I did. His face told the story. He was destroyed, broken, and so many other applicable words. This needed to happen. I was sick of it all. I wanted him gone. Rouge and Shadow had never ever seen me go off like that. It must've blown their minds to see me, a usually cool, calm, collected, and mildly arrogant hedgehog lose it all, and let the President of the United Federation of all people get the worst of my pent-up anger. I could not care less if his Secret Servicemen would go after for threatening the President with court regarding his harassment and stalking of me. Go ahead; make my day!

"Sonic…" he said trailing off. "Please reconsider."

"Good idea! Alright! I reconsidered!" I said joyfully.

"So you'll come back?" he asked. Oh, he was so hopeful and happy like a kid in a candy store.

"The answer's still 'no', Mr. President," I replied flatly. "Now I'm going to ask you to respect my wishes for once, and leave."

"Son-."

"Leave. I don't want to hear it."

"Whatever happened to the young hedgehog that would always be more than happy to help a man in need?" he asked. That's the second time he's asked me that question. It wasn't a question to tug at my morality; it was just out of desperation.

It looked him the eye and said, " _That_ hedgehog never saved people for political reasons. I betrayed myself for joining G.U.N. in the first place. _That_ hedgehog learned that just because someone says that they'll always stand for freedom, doesn't mean they'll necessarily carry it out, and if they do, it's not for the right reasons. _That_ hedgehog grew up and found out that life is too precious to give up or throw away like a crumpled up piece of paper. _That_ hedgehog has his freedom back, and would rather die trying to protect his freedom than give it up. I know that if I work for you, you would do everything in your power to make sure I stay there and be your little puppet. I will not let that happen.

"I do not regret a word I've said, Mr. President, and I think Rouge and Shadow will respect and support me on this. In fact, I know they will, unlike you. Now please leave us and take that mission and my old G.U.N. credentials with you and let me live in peace."

He let out a huge sigh. "I am not leaving here until you agree to return, Sonic."

"Didn't you just hear him?!" screamed Rouge. "Leave the guy alone!"

"I will not-!"

"Quiet!" I yelled. "Rouge, I appreciate you sticking up for me, but this is _my_ fight, not yours." I turned my attention to Titus. "I will not, under any circumstance, return. Now leave."

"I will not!" Don't make me play my ultimate "get-out-of-jail" free card. "Now I demand that you return!" Don't make me do it, Max! "NOW!"

"No."

"I will not accept that answer!"

"You will if _Prince_ Sonic says so!" Boy… _that_ shut him up. His furious face turned defensive in the blink of an eye. "As prince of the planet of Mobius, I hereby state that I will not return to work at G.U.N. You can quote me on that. Now leave! Or do I have to get my mother involved in this?"

He sighed in defeat. "Alright, Your Highness. I'm sorry."

"I know you are. I'm sure you can see yourself out." He nodded and left with his guards, leaving my old G.U.N. comrades on the roof with me. I stayed up there, waiting for the guards to all disperse and leave with Titus. I watched his limousine drive off into the night, making sure he wouldn't get any ideas and turn around.

"Who knew you were so frustrated, _prince_."

"Rouge, the man called me eighty-six times to return to G.U.N. when I left the first time."

"Eighty-six?!" they exclaimed.

"Yeah, and they were all personally from him," I spat. "I not making that up; that's the truth, and he knows that too… and please don't call me 'prince'. I didn't want to have to use my royal authority."

"Sonic," said Shadow. "I may not always respect you, but in this case, even I have to admit that I'm proud of you." IMPOSTOR SAYS WHAT?! AND DID HE JUST CALL ME BY MY ACTUAL NAME?! "I never thought you'd have the stones to actually tell someone off like that, even if it was to someone like the President."

"What can I say? I had a lot on my chest."

"And do you feel better?" asked the bat.

"I will be… soon."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Rouge, let's just say that I'll need you to get measured up for a bridesmaid's dress. And Shadow? You'll need to get measured up too… but it's just for a groomsmen's tux." With that I began making my way back into the house, but I stopped before I got to the door to see if clicked with them.

"What is he talking about?" asked Shadow. I looked back at the exact right time where the bat got it.

"Oh, my god! He's going to-!"

I whistled. "Hey! Are you guys going to coming, or what?!" Then it clicked for Shadow, getting a bewildered look on his face turning into a slight, smug grin.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _NOTE 11/13/2015: Y'know that feeling when you gloss over a detail so obvious that it makes you look stupid when you do realize it? The only reason i'm saying that is because i worded this chapter in a way that made it seem that Cream knew that Sonic was coming home THAT VERY DAY before Sonic did. Planning a welcome home party is all well and good, but the fact that Cream knew the exact date for when Sonic was returning home before Sonic did is very unsettling. If this were a movie, then the guys at Cinema Sins would have had a field day with that major detail._

 _But anyway, this is what I would imagine Sonic to be if he was pissed off into the middle of next week. I said in the last description/Author's Note that what happens in Part I sets up Part II, and this chapter really does that. I can't say more on that without spoiling the story, but you're welcome to think about what may or may not happen._

 _Oh, and how was that not-so-subtle spoiler at the end of the chapter?_

 _Chapters 9 and 10 will be up on August the 4th and 10th respectively. Until then, Ill talk to you later._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA._


	9. 9: 2-For-1 Deal on Bombshells

**Ch. 9: 2-For-1 Deal on Bombshells**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

As the three of us descended the stairs, our friends watched us, still a bit uneasy about our uninvited guest. Rouge was being kept quiet by Shadow, who was having the hardest time containing her happiness at my earlier comment.

Amy came up to me, very concerned and complete with an equally concerned look. "What did he want?"

"Nothing much. He just tried to get me to come back to G.U.N. with a mission that would have involved me leaving tomorrow morning."

"What?! But you just got back!"

"I never said I was leaving. Ames, why would I go when I said that that was my last one? I'm never going back, and I told him to hit the road."

"Really?"

"More or less. Now, remember that surprise I was alluding to earlier?"

"YES! Oops, sorry. I need to learn to curb my enthusiasm."

"No, it was perfectly alright," I assured her. "With you, I expect nothing less. Besides, I personally find it very cute."

"Aw, thanks," she replied, looking away embarrassed. Everyone else saw that and rolled their eyes. Some even made gagging noises (and by "some" I mean Knuckles and Tails). I'd better take advantage of their attention.

"Well, since everyone else is watching us…" I said, surveying the room to see if we still had everyone, "if I could keep everyone's attention, I'd greatly appreciate it!"

"Sonic? What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you your surprise!"

"You could just give it to me privately."

"No, I want _everyone_ to hear and see this." She rolled her eyes and looked at me to get on with it. I looked her in the eyes, and grabbed both of her hands, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"Amy, I want to start by saying that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did in the past; running away from you. I was foolish to run away when all you wanted was to give me your love. But at that point, I didn't want any kind of romantic relationship, but I can't help but think of how dumb I was for not loving you."

"Sonic, you're too much… and you're making me blush."

"I think it looks good on you. But I digress. I saw you that night at Knuckles' and Rouge's wedding, and I just couldn't take my eyes off of you in that beautiful green dress that matched your jade green eyes so perfectly. I knew then and there that I was in love with you. You looked for so b-beautiful, and I knew I wasn't going to let any drunken G.U.N. agent take you out on the dance f-floor." Oh, boy. I'm stuttering. Where did this nervousness come from?! Pull yourself together, man!

"That night we danced, we slept under the stars, and I said that I loved you. I told you that I meant every word, and I still mean it today. I'll always mean those words, because I don't like breaking promises. Then on your birthday we had that "moment" when you asked me if I really loved you, or if I was just using you. Do you remember that?"

"Y-Yes," she answered nervously, embarrassed that I brought up something so personal. But thankfully, that was our little inside joke.

"Amy, I said that day that I would never try to break your heart. That's why when I had to leave, I promised you that I was going to be here with you tonight, because I would hate to see what would happen to you if I left. It's not something I like thinking about, but thankfully it hasn't happened. I'll always be with you, Ames. You believe that I had your heart ever since I saved you that day almost twelve years ago. Amy, I think that these days it's the opposite. I realized you will always have my heart, my love, my adoration, and everything else that is Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Sonic, you're too modest."

"I'm only being modest because it's true. I realized one more thing, Ames. You're my strength. You give me purpose. You're the reason I went back to G.U.N. for one last rodeo, because you knew that it was the right thing to do. My enemies might see you as my weakness, but how could you be a weakness when you're the strongest and bravest person I know? One that can back up her strength with mad hammer swinging abilities?" Everyone laughed, Amy included. But I could see something in her eyes. To her, she was probably confused and maybe anxious that I would be making her dreams come true.

"Amy, do you love me?"

"Of course!"

"Good, just checking." Everyone chuckled again, except Amy. She rolled her eyes at my witty, if not immature, statement. "I can't think of anyone else that understands me and loves me as you do. I can't think of anyone I would want to spend each and every moment of my life with."

There it was. A few of the girls in the room swooned, and Amy's eyes grew larger in shock. "You're the most beautiful girl in the world, Amy. And not just on the outside, but you're even more beautiful on the inside with your positive attitude, happy personality, loving demeanor, stubbornness to our friends, and so much more. You're the reason I wake up, the reason I can do the things I can do. And it's all because of how much you believe in me like I believe in you. You've shown me what true love is, and I will not be able to repay you. I can only try my best to show you the love that you've given me, and give back to you. To return you feelings.

"Before I say anything else, Cream helped me pick your present out while I was away. She helped me shop for it online, and I'll have to make sure to pay her back for helping me. She has your surprise with her now. Right, Cream?"

"Yes, Mr. Sonic!"

"Good. Well then, I've gone on for long enough, so Cream, if you could toss me the box?"

She did so, hurling it quickly across the room. I surprised the guests all by catching it without even looking with my right hand. She looked at the small box and began hyperventilating because of what was going to happen next, and everyone else saw it too. Everyone either gasped or went "ooooh!" It's now or never, Blue.

I flipped it open, getting a big reaction from every female in the room. I could sense Amy's heart rate go through the roof. I took it down to one knee with the perfect diamond in the golden band shining like her beautiful eyes (which were bugging out at the sight of the ring). Do it, Sonic! Do it now! Make her dreams come true! Make _your_ dream come true!

"Amelia Melanie Rose? Will you marry me?"

The room went dead quiet in anticipation for her answer. A pin could drop and everyone would hear it. I awaited her answer, but was a bit thrown off that the one question she had always wanted me to ask she was having the hardest time answering. It was on the tip of her tongue, just itching, no, _begging_ to be said aloud for all of us to hear it. I never broke eye contact with her, hanging on her every little moment. She shed a single tear of what I assumed was joy. She had become a mute on the spot, unable to say a word, as she stared at the one thing that could signify my love and then back to me. She looked me dead in the eyes, searching for an answer, wondering if I truly meant it.

"I-I-Is this r-r-real?" she squeaked. My already large smile grew even more as I nodded, waiting with anticipation. "No one put you up to this?!"

"I may joke about a few things, angel, but this is not one of them."

She silent for a few more seconds, still taking it all in. "Say it again!" she exclaimed.

I silently chuckled. "Amelia Melanie Rose, will you marry me?" Now she began sobbing uncontrollably. "Amy? It's alright, you don't have to answer right now."

"And not answer the one thing I've dreamed about for years?!" Her sudden answer startled me. "YES!" Jackpot! "YES! YES! OF COURSE I'LL MARRY YOU, SONIC!"

We both cried happy tears I took the ring and slipped it on to her beautiful and soft left hand for a perfect fit. I closed the box, put it in my pocket and stood back up, hugging her tightly as we heard the girls crying, but everyone cheering for us. I never thought I would be in this situation, but here I am, now engaged to the only girl I'd ever love that wasn't my sister or mother.

We looked at each other and she pulled me in for one big kiss, holding us there for a good minute. I put my arms around her back and neck to get a better grip on her. Her strong and gentle arms were around my neck, holding me so tight. I'm never going to let you go, Amy. NEVER.

I broke it for a minute to say, "I love you!"

"I love you too!" She brought me back in again, and I could feel her left leg "pop" (à laAnne Hathaway from _The Princess Diaries_ ) up as she continued our kiss and strong hug. When we stopped, our heads rested on each other's shoulders, still shedding more than our shares of tears of joy. I love you. I won't make you regret this. I'll always be there for you, Amy. I promise.

"Okay, you two lovebirds, enough already!"

"Blaze, you felt the same way when Silver finally got the cojones to ask you the same question." The whole room went into a hysterical laughter, save for Silver and Blaze. Blaze turned as red as my sneakers, and Silver? Judging by the look on his face, I had not only embarrassed him in front of everyone (not like it was hard to do), but I also destroyed him in the same hit (also not hard to do). Two birds, one stone.

As I turned back to my bride-to-be, her eyes were still all misty, and I gave her a peck on the cheek, earning a cute giggle. "Well, Ames, that was my surprise. You said you had one for me?"

Her face went to a ghostly, pale white in an instant. Her eyes bugged out again, only worse than before. Altogether, she looked like she had just seen a ghost. "Amy, are you alright?" She didn't answer me right away and had that thousand-mile stare on her façade. Now I was officially worried. "Ames? Yoohoo! Amy, are you in there?"

Her body stayed as still as a statue, but she did move her eyes to see my very concerned face. "S-S-Sonic?" Her voice was choppy and incredibly scared. "I-I'm-m n-n-not s-s-so su-sure that th-this is th-th-the p-p-p-place for it-t-t."

"Ames, what's wrong? You were fine just a minute ago. Now you look like your world has just ended."

"About th-that surp-prise… I d-don't know if everyone else is p-p-prepared to hear it." Hear what? It couldn't be _that_ earth-shattering (well, to everyone else, at least).

"Ames, it's alright."

"No, it isn't."

"Ames… please, angel, tell me. You can talk to me about anything." As I said this I took her hands, not incredibly sweaty and looked her in the eyes. "If I could show my surprise to everyone. So can you. There's nothing to be afraid of. You're among friends and you're with me." She still wasn't budging. "It's okay, Ames. Just tell me."

"O-Okay," she silently let out. She gestured with one finger for me to come in close, and her mouth was right next to my ear, awaiting her answer. Just say it, Ames.

"I… I… we… oh, god." I could see that she wanted to say it, but something was holding her back.

"'We' what?"

"W-We made a mistake, Sonic." Huh? Mistake?

"What are you talking about, Ames? I don't thinking getting engaged was a mistake."

"It's not that, Sonic. It's… I'm… jeez."

"Okay, calm down. Take a deep breath. You'll feel better." She did so, and though she might've felt better, her body language was still very off-putting. "Okay, what do you mean by 'we'?"

"I-I mean that we… that we…" She pulled me closer, not to kiss, but to make sure that I was the only one to hear her words. "We made a mistake."

"A mistake?" I said a bit too loudly. She quickly shushed me, feeling very self-conscious and embarrassed all the more. The rest of the room hung on our conversation like it was a dramatic movie scene worthy of an Academy Award. "What are you talking about, angel-face? What did we do that was wrong?"

"I mean, well…" She pulled my ear to her mouth again. "Remember what we _did_ on my birthday?" Kinda difficult not to. But why is she playing so this so shyly? Granted that was a private moment that we shared, but-. Hold on…

"Yeah. I remember. Why do you ask?"

"W-We messed up... big time. Sonic? I'm… I'm…"

 _***Amy's POV***_

Oh, this was impossible! I just can't say it! I'm too chicken! I can't say this after what he asked me! He said the words he wanted to tell me without any hesitation, so why couldn't I?! I'm not the bravest person you know, Sonic. I can't even tell you what happened! I'm sorry that I'm not the strong person you told everyone I was! I can't say this! But his eyes, they're so calming. Those emerald green eyes that I've lost how many nights of sleep over.

Amy, what are you thinking?! He proposed to you! What does that tell you? He's willing to marry you and deal with everything that you could put him through! Telling him won't break your bond. If anything, what you'll both have will strengthen your bond! Sonic's not the same man that would run away from you anymore! He loves you too much. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have offered his heart and soul to you. C'mon Amy, tell him.

"I'm _pregnant_ ," I whispered into his ear. When I said it, I slowly backed away, still embarrassed and not feeling any better that I told him. When I said it, he froze. His eyes grew to the size of beach balls, his irises dilated to the size of a pen's tip with the matching mouth that hung open just enough.

I wasn't surprised to see him shocked beyond all comprehension. This was something that rocked his world as it did mine when I found out just yesterday. I'm sorry, Sonic! This wasn't your fault! It was mine.

He came back to us for a second, looking at me with the same mortified face he had recently sported. His eyes went up and down to my midsection and my eyes, trying to piece the whole thing together. His lower jaw shook slightly as his lips quivered. I could feel a tear run down my face as it killed me to see him so destroyed.

"Y-Y-You…" he stammered. Yes, Sonic. I'm sorry!

What he did next caught all of us off-guard. His body began leaning back until he tipped over and fell with a THUD, hard at that, onto my hardwood flooring. His same shocked expression didn't change as we gathered around him to see if he was alright. I really didn't expect Sonic to take it _this_ badly. His lips still quivered and his speech was impossible to make out.

"SONIC! Are you alright?!" I asked.

"Y-Y-Y… P-P-Pr…" It was official, Sonic had mentally left us.

 _***Sonic's POV***_

I'M GOING TO BE A DAD. I'M GOING TO BE A DAD. WHAT HAVE I DONE?! OH, MY GOD! I'M GOING TO BE A DAD. WHAT HAVE I DONE?! I'M GOING TO BE A DAD. OH, MY GOD! I'M GOING TO BE A DAD. I'M GOING TO BE A DAD. WHAT HAVE I DONE?! OH, MY GOD!

 _***Amy's POV***_

His mind must still have been trying to figure out how to officially respond. My poor Sonic… I'm so sorry! I wish I hadn't of done that to you!

"Jeez, Amy!" exclaimed Knuckles. "What did you tell him?! The only time that Sonic tips over like that is when he finds out that the nearest hot dog vendor's run out of chili dogs! What did you say that made him like this?!"

"Uh… that's kind of difficult to explain," I said while backing away slowly.

"Oh, it can't be that hard!"

"It's more difficult than you might think."

"Fine," said Tails, "We'll ask Sonic." I don't think he's in the best of shape to answer that. "Sonic? What did she tell you?"

He had enough awareness to mumble a few things, but even with Tails' ear to his mouth, he still couldn't make anything out. The destroyed expression still stood there, and his once peach muzzle was a deathly white.

"Okay, I can't understand him. Amy? I know you probably don't want to say it, but tell us what you said… please?"

"Uh…" Find something to change the subject Amy. "Who wants another cookie?" That wasn't going to work in the first place, since there wasn't a single one made for tonight. Their curiosity was now replaced with impatience.

 _***Sonic's POV***_

You're going to be a dad, Sonic. Get a grip of yourself! Amy's in a tough spot right now! Be the hero that saves her!

I moaned loudly to get everyone's eyes off of my bride-to-be. As they all looked at me, I was sure I didn't want to say it, but I would die trying.

"I'm… gonna be… I'm… I'm-."

"You're going to be what, Sonic?" asked Tails.

"I'm… I'M…" OH, JUST SAY IT, SONIC! FACE IT LIKE A MAN!

 _***Amy's POV***_

I couldn't bear to see him in any more pain. "I'M PREGNANT, ALRIGHT?!" If this were a comedy [movie], they're would've been a vinyl record scratch sound effect inserted right here. My friends turned their heads right at me in a split second, blindsided with what I had said that. And their faces were all the same: absolute shock and confusion. "YOU HEARD ME! I'M PREGNANT! OKAY?!"

Everyone, as if on cue, yelled, "WHAT?!"

"Yeah! I said it! I'm pregnant! DEAL WITH IT!"

Sonic still lied on the floor, flabbergasted that I was the one to say it. His expression was still filled with terror. I didn't blame him. This was an accident. I had always dreamed of being the mother of his child, but I never thought the reveal would be so… awkward, to put it mildly.

"How long?!" asked Rouge, for some reason, incredibly agitated.

"Two-and-a-half weeks!" Sonic forced out. Everyone turned back to him, shocked that he finally said a full sentence.

Before I knew it, Rouge's big shoe heel was digging into Sonic's throat, with him gasping for air. We all stood aside longer than we should have watching Sonic get choked out with no way to get out. "YOU MONSTER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! YOU TOOK HER VIRGINITY AWAY FROM HER AND NOW YOU'VE RUINED HER LIFE! YOU PIG! YOU DID THIS TO HER YOU SORRY PIECE OF-."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" I pushed her off of Sonic and went straight to him. He was conscious, but had almost blacked out. He coughed violently, trying to catch his breath, but it was obvious he would need a minute… or ten.

Rouge began to walk back to him with a fire in her eyes. Knuckles and Shadow restrained her, grabbing both of her arms with no way out. "LET ME GO! SONIC, I'M GOING TO END YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER, YOU-."

"ROUGE! THAT'S ENOUGH! IT WASN'T HIS FAULT WHEN _I_ WAS THE ONE WHO PRACTICALLY SEDUCED HIM INTO DOING IT!" The house went dead quiet and wide-eyed. It was unsettling. "I REALLY SHOULDN'T HAVE YELLED THAT!"

"AMY… YOU DID WHAT?!" barked the bat.

"It was my fault, okay? Okay, 'seduce' was probably the wrong word to say aloud, but I was the one that kinda, well, offered myself…" No, it was _exactly_ the word to use.

"No A-*COUGH*-my, it was my fault."

I kneeled back down to his side. "No, Sonic, I was-."

"Don't' blame yourself. *COUGH COUGH* I was the one who actually-."

"Okay, you two!" Rouge blared. "Outside. NOW!" We looked at each other like kids who had just broken something valuable of our parents'. We walked away uncomfortably as Rouge followed, giving us a death stare. "And if _anyone_ eavesdrops on us, I'll put my pointy boot straight up your rear ends!" With that, she slammed the door behind us, leaving us alone. Oh, boy; I had flashbacks of my mom giving me the yelling of a lifetime when I played soccer in the house and broke the TV screen. But this was different. I was an adult, but one mistake, and I, as well as Sonic, were now reduced to being 6-year-old kids about to get chewed out.

 _***Sonic's POV***_

Oh, this wasn't going to end well for us. Well, Sonic, just take whatever Rouge has to say. It's too late to take back what happened. I grabbed my girl's hand and braced for the worst.

"How did it happen?" What? "How did it happen?"? That wasn't the first thing I thought was going to come out of her mouth. I looked at Amy, and she seemed a bit confused too. "Well, how did it happen? Was there alcohol involved or-?"

"NO!" we both exclaimed.

"So, how then? Amy, you said you seduced the guy. I want to know how and when." Her boot quickly tapped and her arms were folded. Yep, it was the classic "hurry it up" look. But how were we going to say it? "C'mon, you two, we're all adults here."

"Maybe, but those inside listening in on us are acting like children," I said. At that moment I turned around with fire in my eyes and saw several of our companions scatter like cockroaches when the lights get flipped on.

"Alright, now that they're gone, tell me."

"Do we-?"

"Now!"

"Okay," started Amy. Here we go… "On my birthday a few weeks ago, Sonic had gotten the letter from the President to help the army and whatnot."

"I didn't want to go back," I said, "but I ultimately accepted, but the way that I said it, I was acting like a child because I didn't want to go and do my heroic duty. Then-."

"CUT TO THE CHASE!" Rouge screamed.

"Well, I asked him if he truly loved me or if he was using me for my body." I saw the bat look my way, and considering the look she was giving me, she would kill me at a moment's notice.

"I wasn't using her!"

"Give me one good reason why he wasn't!" Amy took the ring off for a minute and put it in her face. "Okay, you have me there. Continue."

"Well, to really test him, I… uh… went 'commando' and asked him the question. I only did it so I could get a better read on his answer, and if he concentrated on my-."

"Hurry this up already!"

"Fine! We showered together, and well, the bed and… I think you can figure the rest out."

"I see." We both looked at each other with amazed faces. She took that _extremely_ well. "WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING?! SONIC, YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF AN INNOCENT GIRL, ONE THAT JUST TURNED TWENTY, YOU MONSTER!" Dammit. Spoke too soon.

"Rouge, hold up! I was the one who started it. Remember what I said?!" Well, Amy wasn't going down, not without a fight at least.

"AND YOU, AMY! DID YOU EVEN THINK THAT IT WAS REMOTELY GOOD IDEA TO GET PREGNANT?!"

"I DIDN'T TRY, OKAY?!"

"AND YOU, SONIC! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO HER YOU… YOU PIG! I CENTAINLY HOPE FOR AMY'S SAKE THAT YOU DON'T PLAN AND RUN AWAY LIKE YOU'VE BEEN KNOWN TO DO!" White bat says what?!

"HOLD ON! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M GOING TO RUN AWAY FROM THIS?!"

"YOU'VE RUN AWAY FROM HER HOW MANY TIMES BEFORE!"

"Listen, Rouge, and listen good. I am not marrying Amy just because I got her pregnant! I am marrying Amy because I happen to the love the girl with all my heart! And so what if she's pregnant with my child? I couldn't be more honored that she is the one that will my wife and the mother of my child! If you think I'm gonna pack my stuff up and leave her, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. I love her, and frankly, I would be honored to be with her through everything! Wedding, pregnancy, the birth our kid; the whole nine yards. I love her too much to leave her for good. I know that I made a mistake, but I can fix it!"

"OH! So you can magically make her not pregnant?"

"NO! I will be with her through everything! EVERYTHING. Why? Because we're a team, and there isn't anything you can say that will affect me whatsoever! Got that?!"

"He's right, Rouge. I know he's telling the truth. I know he won't leave. He loves me and I love him! I know that to you it might sound crazy, but I can't wait!"

She scoffed. "You two… FINE! If you think this is right, then go right ahead! But don't come crying to me when it all comes crashing down on you!" She stormed off back into the house, slamming the door behind her. Amy and I looked at each other, relieved that we had (somehow) told her off, but something was wrong with Amy. Her face showed a lot of regret. Was she sorry that she said those things to her?

"What's wrong, Ames?"

"Sonic, what if she's right?"

"But you just said-."

"I know what I said, but I still feel-."

"As if I was going to leave you one day? That isn't happening anytime soon, angel."

"No, it's not that. Was this a mistake, Sonic?"

"I don't see how it could be." I rubbed her stomach. "We're going to be the parents of the most beautiful child in the world."

"I know, but… oh, Sonic! I'm sorry for this, it was all my fault!"

"Amy, no, if it was anyone's it was mine!"

"No, it was mine!"

"No, mine!"

"IT WAS BOTH OF YOUR FAULTS, SO DEAL WITH IT!"

"Shut it, Rouge!" we screamed in unison. She walked away from her eavesdropping post of a window.

"Sonic?" I looked at her. "Maybe she was right in saying it was both of us who screwed up." I looked away, still fuming. "Sonic, I can tell by your actions that you think she was right." I didn't want to agree, but it crossed my mind for a sliver of a second that it was both our faults, but I wasn't going to blame Amy for it. "Be honest with me, Sonic. If we're going to this, we'll need to be honest 24/7 with each other."

Alright. I sighed and said, "You're right. I didn't want to blame you for any reason because I thought I could defend you on this one. Uh, not that you couldn't defend yourself! I'm not saying that because you're a girl, and… oh, jeez." I hated it whenever I stuck my foot in my mouth.

"Sonic, calm down." She put her arms around me and gave me a needed hug. I gave her one too, needing each other more than ever. "It's alright to blame me, Sonic."

"But I don't want to. I love you too much to say that."

"But I love more to say that I deserve the blame too."

I sighed heavily. "I didn't want to say that."

"But I'm right when I say it, aren't I?"

"I'm so sorry I did this to you."

"And I'm sorry that I provoked you. Like I said, we have to be honest with each other all the time. And now, we have to learn to forgive each other."

"But I don't know if I can forgive myself."

"You'll have to learn, Sonic." As she said that, she kissed me, bringing me in tighter. I slid my arms around her waist and neck, holding us in place for a few more glorious seconds.

"I'll try."

"That's all I ask. And who knows? Maybe this will turn out alright for both of us."

I chuckled. "I guarantee it will, my princess."

We kissed one more time and went back in. Things had cooled off at the party, but the tension was still more obvious than Eggman's red honker of a nose. Soon after, the majority of the guests left for home, save for me and my siblings. We need to hash out a few things regarding the wedding. Amy was in the on the conversation too, and we agreed that the wedding would be in a short time, two-and-a-half months to be precise, and a lot of stuff needed to happen during that time. Amy was so thrilled that the wedding would indeed be a royal one considering she was going to be marrying a prince after all (and mom would have to preside over the ceremony considering royal matrimony traditions and laws dictated that a parent of the prince/princess had to officiate the whole thing, assuming at least one was alive). She was a bit nervous about how short of a time it would be until the day came. She soon eased up a bit when she heard that the everyone who worked for the crown would all make sure that this happened on time and that we would have everything made. Her bridal dress, the bridesmaids' dresses, the groomsmen's tuxedos, and my royal uniform, among other things. It was going to be a long two-and-a-half months, but for Amy, I would do anything to make our day perfect. She only deserved the best.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Okay, how many of you saw Amy's bombshell coming? Sonic's surprise shouldn't have come as too much of one, given that he gave Rouge and Shadow a BIG hint at the end of the last chapter._

 _Is Amy's real name "Amelia Melanie Rose"? No, but a lot of other fan-fiction writers have given Amy the aforementioned longer name, and i thought, "what the hell?" and put it anyway, and as for the middle name i put in, i thought that Melanie was a cute enough name to include in Amy's fake full name._

 _Now am i the first SonAmy fan-fiction writer to say that the to hedgehogs have conceived offspring prior to marriage? No. Not by a longshot. Hell, i don't people should go that far until they're actually married first._

 _You also might've been surprised that Rouge was so heavily critical of Sonic and Amy's extra-curricular activities. I added that part in to reference another SonAmy story that i read where Amy was contemplating telling Rouge that she and Sonic did the horizontal tango, but decided not to tell her, believing that Rouge would kill Sonic and then her. I believe the story was called "Growing Relationships", but don't quote me on that. I also included Rouge's hostility as a sort of ironic tone that the one character in the Sonic franchise that dresses the most risqué is the one to call out someone for having sex. Hehe... irony's a fun writing tool to play with._

 _Before i leave you, the reason that Amy and Sonic's wedding is only two-and-a-half months after the events in the chapter is solely the fact that by the time of three months' pregnancy, for HUMANS i must stress, there is only a small baby bulge, but it's only barely noticeable. i have absolutely no idea how long of a cycle hedgehogs have to go through when it comes to birthing a litter of cute, adorable hedgehogs. With that reasoning, I put that in for the purpose of Amy still looking like she's isn't pregnant come ceremony time, as well as keeping the illusion that Amy and Sonic aren't expecting any children by the time of the wedding to the media and newscasters, who would jump on those headlines given that Sonic and company are already world-wide celebrities for their heroic acts, but even more considering that in this AU that Sonic's a prince. In other words, they would keep quiet about the pregnancy to the media so as to not bring up any bad headlines and stir up a hurricane of controversy, wedding or not. But don't worry. Sonic and company would only tell those closest to them as well as to those that they know wouldn't leak the fact in the same way a new logo or uniform for a sports team gets leaked to the internet prior to its actual official release date. I'll bring up a plot hole for my reasoning on this subject in a later chapter, assuming i remember to bring it up in the first place._

 _Chapter 10 was initially set to be released for the 8/10, but since i now have free day because work didn't need me to come in, the 10th chapter will be up on Friday the 7th, chapter 11 will be up on the 10th, and chapter 12 will be up on the 16th. Chapter 12 marks the end of Part I. And as far as how far into the story we are, we are through 9 with 15 chapters to go._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA._

 _AND LET IT BE SET IN STONE THAT TRYING TO UPLOAD THE DEVIANTART VERSION OF THIS AT ALMOST 1 A.M. WAS ARGRAVATING AS ALL HELL!_


	10. 10: Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

**Ch. 10: Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?**

TWO MONTHS LATER: TEN DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING

 _***Sonic's POV***_

Three. Hours. THREE HOURS! And we had to do this every day until the big day?! I was so sick of this! If it wasn't the constant order of the ceremony that had to be done _to the letter_ , according to mother, it was the fact that if even one of us wasn't putting in all of the effort we could possibly give, otherwise, the Queen herself would have us do it all over again. Mom, I love you, BUT THIS IS INSANITY! We've been at this for hours! We haven't screwed up one in the last ten times we've done it, so why are we still practicing the entrance procedures?! We've got it down, mom! We really do!

"That was perfect! Once more!" All of us groaned once again at her statement as we headed out into the narthex of the castle, getting re-racked like billiards for the umpteenth time. Mom wasn't as aggravating as ol' Max Titus, but at this rate, she soon would be.

The doors shut again behind us. We were practicing how the men would enter the throne room of the castle, where the wedding would be held. We were all getting irritated, but I had no reason to bark at the queen, because that's just disrespectful. Mother Dearest wasn't the type of queen to go "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" if some guy stepped out of line (depending on the severeity of the crime, that is), but she would suitably punish them. What was worse was that the guys, save for Manic, since he (and I) knew that mom would be like this, were getting mad at me for what she was doing. I couldn't blame them. I think that this is annoying too, guys, but don't blame me for all the formality that goes into something so… well… formal.

She said through the doors that she was ready. We all put on our best smiles by the time that the doors opened to us. We walked in unison like soldiers in combat. Left. Left. Left, right, left. We must have doing pretty well so far. She wasn't critiquing us yet. We made it to the altar eventually, stopping as we had done too many times before.

"Perfect!" For the 11th straight time… "Again!" YOU GOTTA BE FREAKING KIDDING ME! All five of my groomsmen and I groaned even louder than in unison. "Hey, we need this to be perfect for the big day!"

"Mom, we've done it perfectly for _eleven consecutive times_! We've been at this for hours!"

"One more time, Sonic!" I didn't argue, but I was one more "Again" from losing my cool. I wanted to make this just as perfect for my day too, for Amy's sake. She deserved a perfect wedding. She was there as were the rest of the bridesmaids in one of the pews that had been placed in the room because the throne room had just started to get decorated for the big day. But to get back to Amy and the girls, even they were getting irked off at all of this as well.

"You just had to be a prince and get married, didn't you, faker?"

"Shadow, shut up. I didn't criticize you for getting married, so don't criticize me. Besides, we're only doing it this way because it's royal tradition."

"When have _you_ been one for tradition?"

"Just be quiet. It'll be over soon… kinda like a flu shot."

 _***Amy's POV***_

I saw my prince walking back up the aisle and past the large doors. He wasn't the only one getting tired of this chaos. My girlfriends were all bored out of our skulls and beyond annoyed, just waiting around for us to be let free for the day. I really wish Sonic wouldn't get to do something over and over and over again even though he did everything to the letter… especially on his 23rd birthday.

"Your Majesty?" I asked the Queen.

"Yes, Amy?"

"Don't you think this has gone on long enough? We've been here for a long time! And I mean a VERY long time."

"I just want everything to be perfect for you two and meet the traditions that have been passed down for royal marriages."

"I understand that, but if I can be honest, Your Majesty-."

"Aleena, please."

"… Aleena, at this rate, you're going to drive him away from the ceremony!"

"And I thought only Amy could that!" I turned around enraged at the snappy comment that Rouge made. Of course _she_ would say that.

"Well Amy, you know what they say. 'Practice makes perfect'."

"I've more of a believer in 'Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice does'."

She pondered my expression. "Hmm, an interesting concept. In fact, I couldn't agree more! I'll tell you what. One last perfect run, and we'll call it a day. Sound good?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Sorry… _Aleena_. I need to get used to that."

"You'll have plenty of time for that."

 _***Sonic's POV***_

C'mon, Sonic, just calm down. Maybe we'll catch a break and this'll be the last one.

"We're ready!" At my mother's words, we lined up again and the doors opened. Our smiles were on and we walked in unison again. As we inched closer, I thought we were going to be alright. "Stop!" OH, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD AND MERCIFUL IN THIS WORLD! "Sonic, that's a fake smile! This is your wedding! You're supposed to be happy!"

"But mom-!"

"No 'buts', young man! Again!" I heard my friends' chuckles at the sound of my own mother calling her now adult son a "young man". Okay, I've had enough!

"Mom, this is insanity! For the last four days, we've gone this over and over again for hours on end! We've all got it down so well that we could do it blindfolded! All of us!"

"Sonic, do it again, please?"

"Mom, no!" Okay, if I'm going to vent, I'll at least do it behind closed doors. I don't need to have my friends see me and the Queen verbally duke it out. "Mom, can I talk to you in private, please?" She was hesitant to answer, but she nodded. I walked over to the door behind the throne that led to my mother's private study. Even queens in this modern day and age need an office after all.

 _***Amy's POV***_

I haven't seen him so hot and bothered since the day that President Titus crashed the homecoming party a few months ago. He stormed off through a door past the throne, leading to her office. The rest of us, except for Aleena, didn't know what to do next. Her Majesty got up and conferred with one of her guards about something before talking my fiancé. Since she was busy at the moment, I seized the opportunity to try and calm him down before their discussion.

 _***Sonic's POV***_

I walked into my mother's office and went toward the balcony, grabbing the railing with a lot of force exerted onto it as the sun began to set. The cool breeze on the warm day helped, soothing my anger partially. The sunset was beautiful too. The star was now beginning to turn scarlet, setting behind the city past the mountains on the horizon.

My frustration wasn't at all gone. Mom, I'm now a 23-year-old hedgehog. I am my own man! And yet you still treat me like I'm a child! Even worse, you embarrassed me in front of my friends and Amy! I won't say that this wedding is a mistake, but maybe it was a bad call for it to a royal one, even if I had no choice in the style of wedding to begin with. Stupid royal formalities.

I heard the door creak from behind me. Now or never.

"Listen mom, I-! Oh, sorry! I wasn't expecting you." Amy stood in front of me looking very concerned. "I'm sorry for the outburst."

"I can see why you did it, though." She began walking towards me and out onto the balcony. "Wow, the view is incredible!"

"Yeah, there's a reason my mom had the office placed here. You can see why." She slid her arms around my back. It was a sweet hug, and I just had to return the feelings. She would always find the way to calm me down.

"Stressed much?"

I had to scoff at her question. "What was your first clue, Sherlock?"

"I can think of one way that I could help you blow off steam."

"I know what you're thinking, but wouldn't that hurt the baby?" She snorted at the comment.

"I don't think that's how it works, Sonic."

"Maybe. But I can think of something else we could do."

"Oh?" I brought her in for a romantic, if not incredibly cliché kiss with the sunset on the horizon. My arms rubbed her back slowly up and down. We didn't need to throw our tongues into it. I just needed her to love me right. There was nothing ulterior about it. I felt a smile come across her lips mid-kiss, causing me to giggle too. Soon enough, we stopped to let out boisterous laughs. I had to wipe one away a tear from my eyes because I was laughing so hard. I stopped to hear accidentally snort. Sure, it could be annoying to someone else, but not to me.

I also noticed how the sunlight just seemed to shine off of her, looking like more of an angel than she already was. We stepped back inside and took a seat on a couch my mom had installed, cuddling on it. We gazed into each other's eyes. This wasn't the first time that I had lost myself in those adorable jade green shiners.

"Feel better?"

I nodded. "Much. Thank you." I took my right hand and rubbed her still slim belly. "You went with Rouge to see the doctor the other day, yes?"

She nodded in affirmation. "Yeah."

"And how are you two doing?"

"Well, you know I'm doing fine. Rouge on the other hand…"

"How late is she?"

"Two months, give or take a day. She's really excited."

"That she's gonna have a baby or that she'll still be able to fit in her bridesmaid's dress?" She snorted and let out a large laugh.

"She _would_ be happy about that!"

"So what about you? What did the doctor say about you?" Suddenly, mom came through the door. "The rest of the conversation will have to wait," I said matter-of-factly.

"Looks like it."

"Sorry, I took a while, son," began my mom. "I thought that if we needed to talk, we might as well talk about the guest list." Not a bad idea.

"May I?" Mother handed me the listing of potential guests. The list's sheer volume of names astounded me, but also aggravated me.

"Sonic, is there something wrong with the list?"

"That's an understatement, mom. I DON'T EVEN KNOW A QUARTER OF THESE PEOPLE!"

"Sonic, calm down. Since this is a royal wedding, it is only tradition that we have every world leader here for the ceremony and reception." My eyes shot wide open. _Every_ world leader? Oh, boy…

"Mom, I know that our family is the royal bloodline of this planet, and I know that this is a royal wedding, but isn't there any way to make it more… more…"

"Private?" interjected Amy.

"I was going to say, 'smaller', but… yeah. Private."

"Sonic, it is tradition."

"Well, no offense, mom, but tradition sounds like absolute chaos. Besides, if every last one of 'em is at the reception and they try and dance with Amy and try something funny?"

"I don't think that would happen, Sonic. They would be respectful and behave themselves."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"How so?"

"The last time Sonic and I were at a wedding," Amy started, "there was an incident where a few drunks tried to peer pressure me into dancing."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Well, Sonic bailed me out, but the drunks tried to… well, long story short, Sonic had to get physical."

"'Physical'?"

"As in kicking their rear ends, so-to-speak, for hurting her on a powerful, bruise-creating wrist grab," I said. Mom didn't say a word, and for good reason.

"Well, I can assure you two that that will not happen."

"Sorry if I don't take you at your word, mom. It's nothing against you, it's just that I don't _want_ anyone hurting her. And if I may be frank, I don't want anyone even touching her, unless it's one of our friends."

"That's rather possessive."

"God forbid that I'd want my wife to myself on my wedding day, mom!"

"I'm with Sonic on this one, Your Highness. I wouldn't want anyone else but Sonic to have his hands on me that isn't a friend either."

"But to get back on track, mom, I asked to talk to you regarding these procedures."

"I know you're upset, Sonic, but I have my reasons. I just want everything to be perfect for the wedding day, and that includes making sure that every little detail and facial gesture is correct."

"I understand that, mom, but wouldn't you think that with OVER THREE HOURS OF PRACTICE EACH OF THE LAST FOUR DAYS that you would get bored or annoyed with it unless it's the actual day?"

"I just want it to be perfect for you two."

"And we do too, but Amy and the rest of our groomsmen and bridesmaids are getting annoyed with all this practicing, perfect practicing at that, for hours on end. Trust me, mom, we've done it so many times, we could do it blindfolded, as I said earlier."

"Practice makes perfect."

"No, perfect practice does." I winked at my future bride, using a phrase she said to me a while back in a previous discussion.

"In that case, we'll need to practice perfectly more."

"Mom, what do you think we've been doing?! We got it right eleven straight times!"

"Until you messed up, son. You had better not fake anything on your wedding day!" MOTHER QUEEN SAYS WHAT?! That one statement made my rage-fueled flames turn into an inferno. I studied my mom's face, and it showed regret. Mine sported a death stare.

 _***Amy's POV***_

Sonic stood up and got right in her face. "Why would _you_ of all people think I would fake _anything_ on my wedding day?!"

"Son, I'm sor-!"

"I'm going for a run."

He blasted out of the room before the Queen could try and reason with him. She stood there for a minute, awestruck at his words. Once again, I shared the same position as Sonic in regards to the subject. I was more surprised that his mother, the Queen of the planet no less, would even call her own son's integrity into question.

"Oh, what have I done?" she said as sat down behind her desk and buried her hands into her face. I knew that with she wasn't the typical mom, but she knew that she screwed up. Moms would do that, but over her son's wedding? Come on, Your Majesty.

"If I may be blunt, Your Majesty, you seriously offended him… and me."

"I'm sorry for saying that, it's just that… no, there was absolutely no excuse for what I said." Got that right. "Amy, what can I do? You know him better than anyone."

"Well, Your Majesty-."

"Aleena. Oh, sorry for interrupting."

"It's alright. As I was about to say, I know that Sonic will always be your baby boy, but he's 23 years old now, and you're still making him feel like he's, well, a little child. Okay, I'll give you that he's had a track record for acting younger than he should, but he's grown up so much! I hate to break it to you, but he's his own man now, and really doesn't like taking orders, especially since he left G.U.N.… twice. I know that you're trying to look out for what his best interests are, and that's great and very motherly of you, but Sonic's not hard-wired for being a royalist like you, and you know that. He's not the typical prince, he isn't one for royal traditions, and he certainly doesn't like to be cooped up in one place for an extended, if not unnecessary, amount of time."

"But I want everything perfect for you two."

"I know that, Aleena, but sorry to say, I believe that he feels like you're taking control of this wedding. It's not yours, Your Majesty. I understand that there's tradition and politics that go into something like this, but like I said before, Sonic's isn't a royally traditional guy. Frankly, if we had our way, we'd probably have a small and private wedding with just those closest to us, and be done with it. This is a wedding, not a political statement."

I ended my small rant and let her take my words in. By the look on her face, I had obviously gotten through to her. Now it was a case of what she was going to say next.

"I'm sorry for doing this."

"Aleena, I forgive you, but you have to loosen up a bit. Sonic hates it when someone's unyielding about something. As ironic as it is, you're the one who's being pushier and more annoying about Sonic getting married, not me.

"You need to forgive yourself and try to make amends with Sonic. You're his mother, so I don't think that it'll be hard to reconcile and find yourselves some common ground. Maybe we can work things out and find a compromise to this whole ordeal? Think about it." I started for the door.

"Where are you going, Amy?"

"I'm going to find my fiancé."

"But he ran off; how will you know where he is?"

"Aleena, I've been able to find Sonic even when trying to hide from me for almost twelve years now. Don't worry, I'll find him." With that, she smiled and nodded. I left the large castle and set out to find him.

 _***Sonic's POV***_

Whenever I was back in town, I always came here when I needed to clear out my head or vent my frustrations. On my little cliff, I peeked down to see the hustle and bustle of Mobotropolis: the planet's capital city. On the other side of the bustling burgh rested my mother's large castle. The flags atop its many towers blew in the wind from the west, the sun was still setting, and the street lights from the city below were just beginning to light up. "Bright lights and the big city," as Cee Lo Green would've put it, didn't do the scene justice.

As I sat and overlooked the beautiful scenery, my mother's words kept replaying in head like a broken record. "You had better not fake anything on your wedding day!" She's always been there for me, whether it was helping me and my siblings out of some tough jams back in the day, to agreeing to preside over the ceremony, to planning the whole shebang.

But she knows that I would never fake anything with the big day now ten days away. So why did she call me out on my commitment to this? Heat of the moment? Possibly; we were arguing about some of the stupid procedures we had to do. That's another thing. I know that I'm a prince, but I certainly don't act like one. I wasn't like Sonia or mom; I was never one for societal and higher class gatherings with people I didn't know, and was not ready to get to know them at the reception. Mom, why do have to make this wedding _your_ wedding? It's mine. This isn't what I want, so why are you forcing it down my throat? Do it at your own wedding if you do get re-hitched!

Hold on, Blue, this is Amy's wedding too. I want this wedding to be perfect for Amy just as much as much as you, mom. She deserves it and nothing less, but this is madness.

"Why is this wedding so much of a hassle?" I thought out loud. "Why can't it be just a simple wedding?"

"Because we're not exactly simple people." I turned around quickly to see who had answered me, and sure enough, it was Amy.

I chuckled. "How is it that you're always able to find me?"

"I planted a homing beacon into one of your molars years ago," she said. As I stood up to face her, she walked towards me and her hand on my cheek. "I'm kidding. I guess I just have a knack for finding you. Are you alright?"

"I wish that we could get this over with and be happy together. This is turning into a nightmare."

"I wouldn't say nightmare. I mean, we are getting married after all."

"Sorry. Maybe 'nightmare' was the wrong word." She nodded.

"Try 'hassle' or 'fiasco'."

"That ironically sounds much better." I brought her in for a warm hug and she returned it. I kissed her on her beautiful head and held her tighter. We stopped and we sat down, and I showed her the view.

"Wow. The city looks so beautiful. I can see why you came here."

"For years, whenever I was troubled, lost, or just need to clear my head, I came here… that is whenever I was in between adventures. You can see the mountains, the castle, the city, and the valley in the distance."

She slid her arms around me. "But you're still troubled, yes?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking, Ames. I feel like I've made this whole wedding all about me and what I want. I'm sorry if I've neglected you and what you want."

"You haven't done that, Sonic. This is your wedding too, y'know."

"And I'm sorry for running off like that. That was childish and selfish of me."

"You had a good reason to run. I'd have done the same thing too if I were in your shoes."

"But I still left you behind, and that's part of what's bothering me. That and my mother's wants, sorry, _demands_ for the wedding."

"Listen, I talked to your mom about the whole thing, and she said that she was sorry for that statement earlier."

"Is that all?"

"No; I told her that this whole big and extravagant wedding isn't you. Sure, you like being a showoff with an egotistical attitude, but when it comes to personal matters, you don't like the big things. Am I right?" I nodded. "I also told her that this wedding needs to be a wedding and not a political statement."

"You know me so well. Thanks." I leaned into her and gave her a loving kiss, wrapping my arms around her gently. She kissed me back, not that I was surprised and gripped my neck more.

We stopped and she said, "I love you."

"I love you too, beautiful. Thanks for cheering me up."

"I try."

"Hey, the cocky attitude is my thing!"

"Maybe you're starting to rub off on me."

I chuckled again. We were about to kiss again, until my cell phone rang. I reached out in between my quills and saw that it was Mother Dearest calling me. I figured we'd have to make amends sooner or later.

"Hello?"

"Sonic, where are you? Amy went out looking for you."

"I know. She found me."

"Really?! Wow, she really does know to find you." Don't I know it! "Anyway, I need to talk to you about what we said to each other, son. I'm sorry for what I said."

"I know mom. I'm sorry too."

"So are you on your way?"

"We'll be there in a few minutes. See you then."

"Alright."

I hung up and looked back towards my girl. "We're needed back at the castle. So, would my princess like to be carried away into the castle?" Her eyes lit up and she smiled ear to ear. She hopped into my arms and I ran at comfortable pace to make sure that she would be alright as well as my child. Speaking of which…

"Ames, what were you saying about that doctor's appointment earlier?"

"What? Oh! Well, let's get to castle first."

"Why?"

"Let's just say I'd like to at a slower pace when I tell you." Okay… _now_ what was she hiding? I didn't question her and soon enough, we stopped at the castle's doors and were let in. Mom was probably going to be up in her office, in fact, she was according to one of the security guards.

"Alright, we're at a slower pace. Now tell me what the results were."

"Fine…" She sounded more embarrassed than anything else. "I'll start by saying this: have you heard that if you were a born a twin you have a decent likelihood to bear twins yourself?"

"I've heard of something like that, yes." Then it hit me a ton of bricks. Two kids?! I turned to her with disbelief all over my face. "You mean…?" I asked scared as my hand pointed to her midsection.

"Yes and no. You're one of three triplets. So…" NO WAY. NO FREAKING WAY. I felt my gaze of surprise grow even larger.

"Th-Thr-Thr-Three?" She only nodded with an embarrassed smile. I didn't know we had already made it my mom's office. I barely heard a door open with my mom at the entrance. I only stared at my fiancée's stomach and tried to take in that I was not going to be a father to one or to two, but to _three_ little hedgehogs. "Oh my."

"'Oh my' what, son?" I jumped a foot out of my skin, unaware of my mom's direct presence. "Sonic, you look like you've seen a ghost!"

"N-N-No! They d-don't exist!"

"Are you alright?"

"He's fine. He's just a bit surprised that he'll appropriately be the father of triplets." I felt my mother's eyes widen in shock too. She knew Amy was pregnant with my seed, but she was just as stunned as I was to hear that I'd be fathering triplets. "I only found out yesterday at the doctor's that we'll have three little ones at the same time."

"Wow." Mom, out of all the things to say, you only say, "Wow"? "I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" That's more like it. "Come on in! We have to celebrate." Then I tuned back to reality.

"Celebrating can wait for just a minute, mom. You said we needed to talk."

"Oh, yes! How foolish of me!" Amy and I walked into her office, and I couldn't help but stare at my love's stomach again and again. Three. Holy crap! "Sonic? Are you listening?" Did I tune back out while mom was trying to talk to me? Wouldn't be the first time…

"Sorry, I'm still reeling from the news."

"Well, just make sure that you'll be the best father to them that can be." Why wouldn't I be?

"You don't need to tell me twice. Now what did you need to say to me?"

The same look of regret I saw earlier reared its head upon my mom's face. "I wanted to apologize for what I said, son. I shouldn't have called your commitment into question. It's not my wedding. It's yours, and I'm sorry if I've seemed like a tyrant about the whole thing. I just want it to be perfect."

"Mom, I want this wedding to be perfect too, for Amy's sake. I know that there are certain traditions and rules that go into this kind of wedding, but you didn't have to force it down everyone's throats… not without a chili dog to go down with it at the very least." The girls chuckled and rolled their eyes at my quip.

"I'm so sorry for making this into something you wouldn't want."

"Mom, don't say that. Amy and I want this to happen, but, well, not exactly to what you think it should be, right, Ames?"

"Right."

"Son? I can't tell you enough how wonderful of a girl you've chosen to spend the rest of your life with. When you were out, she and I had a discussion."

"I know. She told me everything, more or less."

"In that case, there's no need in repeating myself. I do have a suggestion though for both of you two. Well, actually, it's more of a proposal of sorts." And here I thought that a wedding would only have one proposal…

"What do you mean, mom?"

"A compromise." Amy and I looked at each other confused, and then to mother.

"What does this compromise entail?" Amy asked.

"Well, I know that you two aren't fond of all the things in the wedding, but I'm willing to let one or two traditions to get overlooked this one time."

"Such as?" I asked.

"Well, I know how you two would much rather spend the reception with those you know and trust, so here's my suggestion: we still have the royal wedding as scheduled for next Saturday afternoon. We'll still have all the world's leaders at the wedding, but when it comes to the reception afterwards, I'll let you two decide who can and cannot come into said reception along with the security guardsmen. I only ask that for the start of it when you two share your first dance that the press and media stay for the duration of the dance so that they can get their headlines, and then they would leave after it is finished. But only the people you two select can stay for it, like the groomsmen and bridesmaids, and whoever else you pick. There won't be any other people you don't know staying at the reception, save for the guards, and there won't be any "funny business" involving some guy trying to make a move on Amy, for your sake, Sonic." I looked at Amy. I thought that we could make this happen. But if mom was willing to give that up…

"Question. What would we have to give up making this work?"

"As I said earlier, the wedding will still be a royal one, so Amy will be crowned a princess and whatnot, and the rest of your friends would still attend, but I would ask that all of the world's leaders still attend. I only ask that you still do that much in turn for the reception." I looked back at Amy, who had a jolly smile on. She looked like she was on board.

"Well, would you like that, Ames?" She nodded. I turned back to Aleena. "Deal." I got up and stood in front of her. "And I'm sorry for arguing with you earlier." Mom brought me in for a very motherly and loving hug. It was the only kind of hug that a son should receive from her mom.

"I do have two things to ask of you, mom." She looked at oddly. Amy did too.

"What would that be, son?"

"Well, first off, I would need a new prince's outfit for the ceremony."

"What's wrong with the one you have now?"

"I haven't worn my royal outfit in almost fifteen years, mom," I said flatly.

"Ah. Right."

"I'd like the uniform to be in black, if possible. And secondly…" I grabbed the guest list and scrolled down the names until I found the one I was searching for. "This man on the list, Maximilian Joseph Titus, I don't want him here for the wedding."

She plucked the list from my hand. "And why wouldn't you want to have the President of the United Federation here? I asked that the guest list not be changed."

"Well, I have a bad history with Titus." Just saying his name made my skin crawl. It went double because I was the one to say it.

"How so?"

"When I left G.U.N. for the first time-."

"He kept calling Sonic all the time to come back," Amy interrupted. "When Sonic was asked again about three months ago to aid the U.F. Army, Sonic agreed, but under the stipulation that he stop harassing him about joining back up for this one time. When Sonic got back, our friends and I threw him a homecoming party at my house, and Titus came by uninvited, wanting Sonic to come back permanently."

"I refused, but he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. So I had to use my princely authority to forbid him from asking me to rejoin. Yeah, it got that bad where I had to use my royal authority to deal with something, and you already know how much I hate using it in the first place."

"The man's more obsessive about Sonic than _I_ was, Aleena." I chuckled at her comment because I knew it was true, but more at the fact that Amy admitted her bad obsession.

"I'm just afraid he's going to drop by and bother me again. Simply put, I don't like the guy. Trust me, mom; the guy is a few doughnuts short of a baker's dozen. And if you think that we're lying, we aren't. Ask Shadow and Rouge. They'll back me up on this."

She stood there for a bit debating whether it was the truth that we said or not. If all else fails, I have proof to say that I wasn't making this up. I'll just show her my cell phone's call log.

"Well, alright. I'll take your word on this. And while we're talking about the U.F., what about the G.U.N. Commander?"

"The Commander's cool. It's just Max I don't want skulking around."

"Alright then. The invitations haven't been sent yet, so I'll make sure to tell the guys down in the mail room to not send one Max's way."

"Thanks, mom."

"Anytime. Now, don't you have a bachelor party to get to, son?"

"Yep. But that's not for another hour, but I still have to make myself decent. Come on, Amy, let's go." She nodded and got up as we headed for the door.

"Sonic, one last thing." I turned around to see my mother smiling. "Happy birthday, son."

"Thanks, mom."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _*Electric guitar plays the theme song and the audience applauds*_

 _Good evening, everybody, and welcome to_ Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? _On tonight's show, a hero with a fetish for cylindrical meats covered in a foreign substance, Sonic the Hedgehog! She's a drama queen and a regular one, Queen Aleena the Hedgehog! She can hammer an idea into someone's head better than any politician, Amy Rose! You thought Amy had it bad for Sonic, Max Titus! And I'm your host, SconnieSA; come on down, let's have some fun!_

 _*walks down the stairs and sits down behind the desk as the theme song ends*_

 _Welcome to_ Whose Wedding Is it Anyway? _The chapter where Aleena starts taking too many liberties with the wedding (royal tradition or not), and Sonic and Amy are getting frustrated because of it. That's right, Sonic and Amy are getting just as frustrated as a Democrat would be with a Republican in the Oval Office._

 _Okay, American politics and parodies of hilarious TV shows aside (the Drew Carey version on Whose Line is the best, which is what the stuff above this sentence is based on), this chapter was actually never in my original plan for the story. I added it a few chapters into it. My original plan was to have the proposal and awkward pregnancy announcement happen and then cut to the wedding, but I realized that no wedding would be incomplete without some sort of drama thrown into it, from someone not getting married, no less. I just hope that there's no drama for me when I finally get hitched, but something tells me that it'll happen regardless of whether I want it to or not._

 _Oh yeah, then there's that fact that Sonic's gonna be a father of 3, count 'em 1, 2,_ _3_ _kids. Oof. Not only is he gonna be a young father at 23 years old, but he's gonna have 3 of them. I'd hate to be him for the next few years!_

 _Now just you wait. Because I just made that remark about Sonic being a dad of triplets, now I'll probably be a father of triplets._

 _But seriously, if my first time trying to have kids does turn into triplets, I'll never update my and DeviantArt pages again._

 _So as I said in the updated versions of my stories ( and DeviantArt), chapters 11and 12 will be up on 8/10 and 8/16 respectively. Chapter 12's ending will mark the end of Part I. When I update again, you'll read the longest chapter of the story to date: THE WEDDING! *throws a handful of streamers* Ten chapters down, fourteen to go…_

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA._

" _Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice does." – Steve Schleicher_


	11. 11: Off without a Hitch

**Ch. 11: Off without a Hitch**

TEN DAYS LATER

 _***Sonic's POV***_

How can grooms go by and not see their beautiful girl? Screw tradition, I want to see her! This whole "grooms can't see their bride the day of the ceremony until the ceremony" tradition is a bunch of hooey. All I want to do is see her in her magnificent beauty in her bridal dress and veil. I hope everything's going okay down there. Amy's probably running around frantic like I'll be if this show doesn't get on the road sooner or later. Dear god; WHY DOES THIS DAY HAVE TO MAKE SO NERVOUS?!

"Sonic, you're spines are sticking up again."

"Sorry, Tails," I replied as he watched as the many manservants fixed my spines, making sure that they'd stick together with the generous amounts of hair gel that were getting slathered in amongst them. Tails stood at a distance in my large bedroom, getting his hair and tuxedo all situated along with Knucklehead, Shads, Silver, and Manic. "Calm down, Sonic. It's just your wedding."

"Keep talking fox-boy. This'll be _you_ on _your_ wedding day when you and Cream hitch up." He blushed at the very statement and turned away. "That's what I thought."

"You're all set, Your Highness," said the mouse manservant.

"Thanks, Jacques." He walked away from us to tend to the others.

Everyone was pretty much ready to go. All of us, save for myself, were all wearing black-jacket suits with a black-buttoned white undershirt and a matching black bowties. The black pants and shined shoes of theirs helped tie the look together. And how could I forget the matching royal blue boutonnieres that they all had pinned to their getups?

As I looked into the mirror, I couldn't help but notice at how long that it had been since I last wore a prince's uniform. It also reminded me of how much I hated wearing one, but at least the color matched the suits of my comrades. It was a sleek, pitch black uniform with gold lace shoulders with fringes hanging from them. A sash crossed my upper body, beginning at my right shoulder and ending at my left hip. The sash had a fat royal blue stripe running down it that perfectly matched my fur, and it had slim white and gold stripes on both sides of the aforementioned fat stripe. My jacket was adorned with solid-gold buttons going down each side of my chest. Add in some royal blue cufflinks, the cleanest black dress pants you'll ever find, and a pair of polished black dress shoes, and I was ready to go. Oh, and this solid gold crown that rested neatly on my brow (how it stays there is a mystery I will never solve; maybe it was stuck in place because of the copious amount of hair gel). Overall, I looked sharp and handsome. I just hoped that Amy would like it.

I felt a hand grace my shoulder. "You got this, bro."

"Thanks, Manic." As if we didn't look enough alike as it was his goofy head quills that usually stood up and made him look like the punk rocker I knew he was were combed down. HE LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE ME. Right down to the quill pattern. Anyone that was fully colorblind could easily mistake us… until one of his combed spines sprung right back up, forcing me to burst out into laughter.

"Ugh," he groaned displeasingly.

"Lighten up, Manic. I think you look better with them up."

"You think so?" Before I answered, he messed them all up. "Better?"

"Much. Don't worry if mom gives you hell for it. If anything, tell her it was my idea."

"Thanks; I'll keep that in mind. You sure you're ready to go?"

"Not yet." I turned to see the rest of the crew. "How are we doing, guys?"

"The sooner I get out of this, the better," snarled Knuckles.

"I don't know. I think we look pretty slick," said Silver.

"Hmmpf," grunted Shadow. Lighten up, sunshine.

"I'm fine," said Tails.

 _***Amy's POV***_

I can't believe that this is happening! I feel like a million sugar cubes just went off in my mouth! I can't stay still! Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!

"Amy's you need to stop moving!" screamed Sonia. "If you don't stop, you'll start sweating and your makeup is going to run faster than my brother!"

"And who wants to marry a sweaty and smelly bride?" quipped Rouge. The others found it funny. I sure as hell didn't.

"Rouge, how is it that your makeup never runs? FOR ANYTHING?"

"Years of practice."

"Or are there so many layers of them that it'll never run? And you call me a messy bride." A collective "ooooh" came from the rest of them. Rouge stood there with arms folded. She smiled.

"Touché."

Sure Rouge still hasn't forgotten what Sonic and I did, but she can't say anything since she's got one in the oven too. Granted it's only one to my three, but still.

The rest of my bridesmaids were all getting their hair done and the final touches were being put on their dresses. Taking me into consideration, they all had simple, but very elegant dresses that matched my pink fur to a fault. With all of them, they looked very pretty. Rule #1 when it came to ladies' outfits was that pink goes with EVERYTHING, _especially_ my white dress.

Oh, my! I looked incredible. Don't cry, Rose. Not yet. You'll ruin the makeup like Sonia said. My long quills were curled at the very end. Everything was going so perfectly! This was it! My dream come true! The perfect dress, the perfect groom, the well-dressed bridesmaids, and the large throne room that was going to be decked out for the occasion! IT WAS GOING TO BE MAGICAL! NOW IF WE COULD ONLY GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!

 _***Sonic's POV***_

"Okay, boys," said the overly snobby task-woman. How my mom likes this greyish-blue pigeon is something I'll never figure out. I know it's your job to make sure we look fine, but loosen up! Look at me! My friends have calmed me down! Right?

"I need to make sure everything is right with all of you." She was handed a checklist. "Groomsmen?" Everyone but me stepped forward. She stepped closer to inspect them individually. "Let's see… shoes are all shined up; the pants are pressed and furless." She stopped and plucked one from Manic's. "Correction: _now_ they are," she said while giving him a look. Don't patronize us today. "Suit jackets are all clean, undershirts seem alright, Prince Manic's crown is all shined up, the boutonnieres are all in the correct locations; the hair, quills, and *SHUDDERS* dreadlocks are in satisfactory condition…"

Knuckles' face screamed, "I want to punch you so hard right now". Not now, Big Red. Just grin and bear it. She'll be done with us soon.

"Alright, the groomsmen are ready. Now for Prince Sonic." I'd take being called a "nasty, little pincushion" over my legal title. She began to carefully encircle me, checking every square inch of my body. Unnerving? Yes. Degrading? Also yes. The fact that she seemed to be staring too much at my midsection? UNCOMFORTABLE IN EVERY INTERPRETATION OF THE WORD.

"Only Amy has my permission to stare down there, thank you very much," I quipped. She shot me an extremely disappointed look while the groomsmen chuckled. Then they stopped when she glared at them.

"If that is how you're going to act towards your wife, then I hope she files for divorce quickly." An uneasy silence came about the room. Where do you get off talking to me like that?!

"That's not exactly how you should talk to a _prince_." I hated playing that card, but the situation did call for it. She didn't say a word as a worried look crept onto her face.

"My apologizes, Your Highness." I nodded my head to acknowledge her. Not so tough now, are you?

"Jacket seems to be order. Your rapier?" At that moment, I pulled out my royal sword, christened from pure steel. Not only was it shiny and deadly, but it was topped off with a solid gold hilt. "Okay, gloves are clean, crown is shined to perfection… everything seems to check out. Except for one thing. Where is your medallion?" I reached into my jacket and pulled it out, with it tucked in amongst my layers of clothing, but still plenty visible.

"Like I'd forget this."

"I'm just making sure-."

"Yeah, yeah… I know. Are we done here?"

"Yes." She pulled out her walkie-talkie. "We're done with our wardrobe checks down here. How are things going on your end?"

 _***Amy's POV***_

"We're done with the bridesmaids. Now it's time for the bride," said the wolf guard.

Well, Sonic's done… I guess. I wonder what he looks like. Oh, hurry this up! I want to see him! I need to see him!

"Chill out, Amy. There's still a ceremony to be held." I think Cream knows me a bit too well at times. I don't even need so much as a syllable and she knows what I'm thinking.

"Your maid-of-honor is correct, Miss Rose. Now, we just need to make sure everything with you is good to go." The pristine looking wolf carefully went around and around and around me some more, making me dizzy while checking my dress. Or was I still my equilibrium out of whack thanks to the three stowaways I had with me? Oh, man… WHAT IF I LOSE MY BALANCE? WHAT IF I VOMIT DURING THE CEREMONY?! EVERYONE'S GOING TO BE WATCHING ME! PLEASE NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!

"Amy!" Blaze's sudden yell brought me back. "Cool your jets. Now is the not the time for nerves! How many times must we tell you that?"

"Reminding me of it every ten seconds doesn't help!"

"Relax, future-princess," said the wolf. Oh, _princess_. I forgot that I'd have that title shortly. "Okay, everything checks out just fine. You've got the green light."

"Thank you." Are you sure I look okay?"

"Are you kidding? You look gorgeous!" cried Cream.

"Sonic's a lucky guy," said Maria.

"No, _I'm_ the lucky one."

"So, does anyone have to go to the bathroom before we embark?" Nope. I'm good. "No one? Alright then. If you do have to go, it's your funeral," the wolf joked.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's Sonic's."

"Rouge…"

"Oh, lighten up!"

"So, ladies, are you ready to go?" The bridesmaids nodded. "Are you, Miss Rose?" I won't get called that name soon enough.

 _***Sonic's POV***_

"Since you're all good to go, are you all ready?" They nodded. "And you, sire?" Wait, we're going now?! Oh, boy… am I sure that I can go through with this?

You have to. You promised her. Sonic does not break promises.

But it's my wedding! _MY WEDDING!_

"Guys, can I have a minute before we go?" As everyone started making their way out, I realized something. "Tails, I need to talk to you privately, please." He stopped and nodded as everyone went out, closing the door behind them.

He didn't speak right away. He folded his arms and started reading my body language. Here I was standing like a complete idiot who no doubt looks like someone so uncomfortable that I looked like a guy with a stick up his rear.

He smiled. "You feeling the pressure?"

"Yes," I admitted.

"Sonic, there's no need to be scared. Just let it happen." Just then Tails' phone rang a tune similar to the music that played during my time at the Stardust Sppedway. He looked up to me and gestured as if to say, "Hold on a sec."

"What is it Cream? No, that's fine. Sonic needs one too. Alright, we'll keep in touch." He turned back to me. "Apparently Amy needs a minute too. From what Cream said, she's pretty nervous. Can't say that I'm surprised."

"Neither can I. I'm on the same boat with her."

"Other than the usual pre-wedding nerves, is there anything else that's on your mind?"

"I just need a minute until I go through with this."

"I don't believe that for a second. What else is it?"

I sharply inhaled. "I don't have faith in me that I'm going to be always there for her. As a hero, a husband, or a father. What if something happens? I know that Egghead hasn't stirred up trouble in forever, but I can't help but feel like someday there'll be something that I can't protect her or my future kids from. Being me, I can't help but think about it. I know that I will be promising her that I'll be there all the time, but what if something does happen?" My brother from another mother probably wasn't expecting me to say that, but what if something did happen? I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened.

"Sonic, I know you well enough that something like that would never happen. I know Amy well enough too where she won't let anything happen to herself or you. You two will be able to handle yourselves. I have no doubts about it."

"But what if it does?"

He took a few seconds to answer. " _If_ it happens, Sonic, and that's a pretty big _IF_ , I know you'll do everything in your power to right the wrong, no matter how messy something like it could get. Was that the answer you wanted?"

I looked at him and smirked. "More or less."

"Amy has faith in you, Sonic. Hell, _I_ have faith in you, but I have more faith in you in preventing something terrible to happen in the first place."

"Thanks, buddy." I offered a hand to him and he shook it. But after, we had a simple bro-hug.

"I've got your back on this one. You ready to go?"

Before I answered, someone came into the room. "MOM? What are you doing here?"

"I heard that you were running a bit late about things. Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I just needed to have one last talk with my best man."

"Okay, I… I just wanted to m-make sure you were alright." Not only did my mom begin stuttering, but she also began to cry.

"Mom, why are you crying?"

"It's just… it's just I never thought I'd see this day! You look so handsome! Amy's a lucky lady." She came forward and gave me a loving and motherly hug forcing back the tears. "If only your father could see you now."

"Something tells me wherever he is, he can see me. I miss him too, mom. Now come on, mom; now is hardly the time to cry. You still have to preside over this wedding, y'know."

She let go of me and wiped away a tear. "I guess I do, don't I?" Tails and I chuckled at the statement.

Tails then got another phone call and answered it. "Uh-huh. Okay. Good to know. Yeah, we're good to go on our end. Thanks, Cream." He turned back to us. "Amy's ready to go. You two ready?"

"Born ready. I'll see you at the altar, mom." She nodded and left with her security detail. I stretched my body, cracked my neck, and cracked my knuckles. "You got the ring?" Tails dug into his pocket and presented it. "And Cream has the other one?" He nodded. "Alrighty then." One last back crack and… *CRACK* "Showtime." My brother from another mother and I walked out into the hall. Standing against the wall were my groomsmen and the security guards.

"Line up, gentlemen," the chief-of-security said. Hard to believe that after he ditched Eggman years ago that Dingo would be the chief-of-security. I could understand why he was qualified for the job. Eggman was an idiot, and well, Dingo would do _anything_ to make sure Sonia was safe. Thankfully, he wasn't her personal bodyguard. That'd be messy.

We did as he asked, lining up as such: I was at the lead, Tails was behind me, and then going Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, and Manic. Manic and I had four guardsmen around us while everyone else did not. Go figure that we needed extra security since we were royalty. "Ready to go, Prince Sonic?"

"No, but we're doing it anyway," I joked. "Let's roll."

"Very well." With that, Dingo gestured and we began arguably my life's biggest walk to date. Scratch that; it was. The halls were never seemed to end. White hallway after long hallway. I didn't care if it was a castle. Mom, get some variety in here! A long rug, a painting of me and my siblings, dogs playing poker; _anything_ to change things up.

As we finally reached the all-too-familiar narthex, it was just us guys coming from one of the west wing. The girls had the east wing, and hadn't turned the corner yet. They were waiting for us to go first, as was tradition. Speaking of waiting, how much longer do I have to wait to do this? This is insanity! Staying calm is a foregone conclusion at this point!

"Sonic, you're fidgeting."

"I n-noticed."

"Deep breaths, dude. Concentrate on the quietness."

"Not exactly something I can do when I can hear half the planet talking with each other in the next room."

"Just do it," he said flatly. Alright. Concentrate. In. Out. Innn. Outttt. Innnnnnnnn. Outtttttttttttt. I'll be darned, it works!

Well, now I wasn't calm. The herald was out, announcing my mom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of the Planet Mobius: Queen Aleena I!" The pews in there all creaked as they all stood as my mother was no doubt arriving from her chambers behind the throne room. The large orchestra blasted a majestic tune as I saw, from a monitor in the narthex, my mom come out and order everyone to please have a seat. As she droned on about thanking those who could make it, everything else seemed to slow down.

This was it. No turning back now, Sonic. You're committed to this… literally.

But what if I can't do this?

You can, because you love Amy too much to run away now. Take your breaths again. Again. Again. And again.

"Guys?" I asked. They all looked up. "Thanks for being here for me today." They nodded back.

"Everyone?" the herald yelled. "It is my honor to announce to you, the hero of Mobius…" FEEDING MY EGO IS THE LAST THING I NEED TODAY! "… His Highness: Prince Sonic!" One last crack of the knuckles and… *CRACK* "Showtime," I whispered to myself. The guardsmen lined up beside us, leaving us six in a row. All or nothing. Here goes everything.

The door creaked open as the guests had all risen, looking to us. The drums sounded, trumpets were blaring, and the rest of the orchestra blasted their tunes. Wow, they were amazing. I took my first step of my longest journey out onto the red carpeting as my mates followed suit. We marched like soldiers. Left. Left. Left, right, left. All in unison, we looked ahead with purpose with a smile on our faces.

The throne room was turned into a beautifully colored chapel where the stain-glassed windows shined the sunset upon us as it peered through. At the end of each pew stood a royal soldier, saluting us all we walked closer and closer toward my destiny. Of course waiting for us was my mom, barely keeping herself from crying. I smiled at her. She smiled back, forcing them back as her hands were clasped in front of her body. She looked great too. Even though she wore the same royal dress from my youth, she still pulled it off nicely.

We reached the steps that led to her on the right side of them. I stopped on the second-to-last step, giving her the higher standing since she was the Queen after all. My groomsmen arose on the stairs too. Tails was on the step beneath me, and following with Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, and then Manic. We all turned to face her. We took our right arms and extended them away from our bodies with our hands clenched into a fist. With sudden movement, we swung them and placed our fists on our hearts and went down on our right knees, bowing our heads in respect for Mom.

"Arise," she tated, and we did so. As we did, I could sense the shutterbugs on the upper levels getting every last bit of it.

"Everyone," the herald began again, "it is at this time that I introduce to you the bridesmaids of His Highness' bride!" The orchestra sounded again, and the doors opened again.

Leading the girls was a small golden hedgehog with a cream-colored muzzle, a pretty little light pink dress, hair that looked like Amy's from back in the day, and forest green eyes. She was the flower girl; laying down rose petals (fittingly) down evenly on the ground. Following her were Cream, Rouge, Maria, Blaze, and finally my sister, Sonia. Each one of them were dressed in pink silk dresses, cut off at the knees with an rose-inspired design at the bottom, and matching pink rose wrist corsages with pink diamonds acting as beads on it. For their shoes, they all had high-heels of pink on with a pink rose on each shoe. Each of them held a bouquet of roses. They all decided to do what Rouge had in her bouquet when she married. The only difference was that Rouge had white and red roses to represent her and Knucklehead's fur colors. The same was Amy and me; pink and the extremely rare blue roses. As they arrived at the scene, they curtsied for the Queen, curtsying herself in respect.

Then the organ joined the orchestra in the stereotypical "Here Comes the Bride".

"Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the bride of His Highness: Amelia Melanie Rose!" screamed the herald.

This was it. I hope she looked great. Who am I kidding, she always did. She always would. The anticipation is killing me! I can only hold my emotions in for so long! And then I saw her, being given away by my Uncle Chuck.

Oh. My.

I felt my lower lip quiver, my eyes grow, and my pupils shrink at her sight. My right hand covered my mouth in wonderful shock as I laid my eyes on her. There she was. The only girl I would ever love and would spend every day with for the rest of my life. Her dress was whiter than lightning, shining like a diamond in the stain-glassed sunlight. One white high heel in front of the other. Never faltering, never shaking, and never stumbling once. Her dress conformed to her figure magnificently. She may have been three months pregnant, but you couldn't tell from the naked eye. As my eyes went up her, my eyes were caught on the dozen white roses that filled her bouquet, matching her incredible dress, adorned throughout with similarly perfect white roses. Holding those flowers were her delicate hands, covered to her elbows in long white gloves. Then I reached her face. Despite the veil, I could still her radiant jade green eyes lock with mine, losing myself in them. She was like my mother, trying to hold back tears of joy as her beautiful smile tied it all together wonderfully.

She stopped at the base of the stairs, turned to my adoptive uncle and gave him a hug for doing this. Even though she only knew him for a few months, she trusted Chuck, and thanked him for helping mold me into the hedgehog I was today. We had asked him to do this, since Amy's parents were out of the picture. He was more than happy to do it.

As she broke the hug, he took his seat next to Vanilla and she ascended the stairs with wonderful grace. She stopped on her step and curtsied for the queen as well. She then turned to me with those beautiful eyes.

"I knew you would look like an angel, but… wow," I whispered. I must sound like a complete love-struck idiot.

"You really think so?" she asked choking down a tear. I nodded.

"If you two would please join arms," petitioned the queen. I offered my left arm, and she took it with her right arm, both of us turning to the presider as we did it. This was really happening.

"Dearly beloved," she began, "we are gathered here today as friends, as family, and as one people to witness the marriage of my son, Prince Sonic, to the fine young lady that he loves so dearly: Amelia Melanie Rose.

"Before we begin, I would like to talk to Sonic and Amy specifically." She looked down towards, fighting back a tear. "My son, I have told you time and time again leading up to this day that I never would have ever thought you would marry." The audience chuckled, Amy included. Thanks, mom. I really enjoy being mocked on a global scale. During my wedding, no less. "But to see the girl you have decided to be with for the rest of your life, I can see why you chose her. You have decided on a beautiful and smart young lady who I know will respect you and love you for all of time." I nodded, but felt somewhat embarrassed by her choice of words. When she said that I "decided" on a bride, it sounded to me as if I had chosen her from a group of potential suitors.

Then she turned to my bride. "Amy, I have only known you personally for a few months. Needless to say, I had heard about you through my son, but now that I have gotten to know you, I have no doubts that you are the one for him. I mean that, because I know first-hand that Sonic is a difficult man to handle." Again with the groom ridicule? Mom, this is a wedding, not the best man's embarrassing speech! "But I know that Sonic is a different man than he once was. He is not the arrogant teenager we all knew he was. He is still as kind and helpful as ever, and you could not have chosen a more suitable man to fall in love with." Amy nodded in thanks, sniffling as she smiled. There was that concept of "choosing" a suitor again…

"And now, everyone, to speak on behalf of the bride and groom, we have two people that know the betrothed very well. These two, I am proud to say, are well-respected among the people for their kind and nurturing hearts, having both helped guide these two lovers into the husband and wife that they shall be. So if the bride and groom would please take a seat to their right…" she said while gesturing to the chairs to our right. We did so, never separating our arms, and sitting on two INCREDIBLY comfortable chairs. They were as comfy as mom's throne, just slightly smaller for the two of us. "At this time, our first speaker will come up. If I could please have Sir Charles the Hedgehog please come up?"

Uncle Chuck arose, getting a round of applause while doing it, and walked up the stairs, saluting mom the way the guys and I had done. As Aleena nodded, she took a seat not too far from where Amy and I remained arm-locked. Chuck walked to the podium on the left side of the altar where it served as a pulpit of sorts, higher than everyone in terms of height. He hasn't changed one bit or aged a day, it seemed. He still had the light blue fur, the bushy eyebrows, and the handlebar mustache that went along greatly with his kind eyes.

"Hello, everyone," he said into the microphone atop the stand. "As Her Majesty has already said, my name is Charles the Hedgehog. Some of you may know me as 'Uncle Chuck'. Let me tell you all a story. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Rose over here a few days after their engagement. Now from what my adoptive nephew had said about her in the past, he had called her, and I quote…" Uh-oh. "… 'An annoying fan-girl who seemed to have more of attachment to me like I have one for chili dogs'." The congregation went into a hysterical laughter, as I pulled on my collar nervously with a nervous smile on my face. I didn't have the courage to look at Amy. "That was an actual quote! Sonic, by now, I'd guess that my because of my words, Amy is thinking about bonking you over the head with that hammer of hers." Don't give her any ideas! "But if I may stop embarrassing the poor guy, I must continue with my story." I'M NOT SURE IF I WANT YOU TO!

"Because Miss Rose's parents aren't in the picture, they asked me if I could give her away today. I'll be honest, I was still having a hard time believing that Sonic was serious about marrying the girl, but they had decided that they were doing this. Over the next two months, I found that Sonic really could not have picked a nicer girl to want to spend the rest of his life with. So after getting to really know this pink-furred and spunky hedgehog, I agreed.

"Sonic, I'm speaking to you here. I've watched you grow up into one of the world's most generous men. You have been willing to risk your life for strangers, some of which who could never repay you, and then asking for nothing in return. When you came across my brother's doorstep twenty-three years ago when Robotnik first conquered the planet, I knew you were a special boy, but I never thought that you would turn into such an inspiration for all of us. Whether it was leading a rebellion against Robotnik, or saving pink girls in orange tutus, or just being your usual daredevil self, you have turned into a man of honor. You do not throw around your prince title in vain. Heck, you hate being called that. You would much rather be one of the common folk, having adventures, and not having to listen to your mom's rules about princely life." A hardy laughter encompassed the large room, getting one from myself. "That is what makes you a hero, Sonic. You look at everyone as equals, you help those in need, you do the right thing for the right reasons, and I believe you do the things you do not just for the sake of having an adventure, but to inspire us to be like you: a hero. And now ladies and gentlemen, this hero is taking his next big step… and surprisingly it isn't to the nearest chili dog stand." As everyone roared again, my free hand covered my face, hiding my embarrassed smile as my head shook from right to left. "This man of the people is taking the first step of his longest journey yet. I know that for you two this will not always be a smooth ride through the countryside and it will have its challenges. But Sonic, Amy, if you two have been able to tussle with some of the most wicked things to ever cross your paths, then marriage should seem like a walk in the park to you, or for you Sonic, a 10K run. Spoiler alert: it isn't. But it will be the most rewarding. You will have children, your friends, and most importantly, each other. I would say that I wish you the best of luck, but I already know that you two don't need it. With Sonic, you don't need luck. All you need is a positive attitude and good company to help you along the way.

"Respect each other, count on each other, _love_ each other. This is your day. This is your life. _Your_. _Life_. You may be separate people, but after today, your lives will be one, just as your souls will be one. I know that the life that you will lead will bear many fruit. Whether it be children or good examples for us to follow, I know that your days together will be as memorable as today will be. Thank you."

When he finished, a round of applause came from the entire congregation. He bowed slightly and made his way toward the two of us. Amy and I arose from our seats and disconnected our arms for a moment to each hug Uncle Chuck and thank him for the kind words and advice. Once he was done with us, Aleena did the informally royal thing to do and hugged the man. It wasn't standard royalist protocol, but he family (even if it wasn't a blood relation), and I couldn't have had a better father-figure than Chuck.

Chuck went back down to take his seat, and mom announced, "Thank you, Sir Charles, for the wise words and words of encouragement for the bride and groom. Our second speaker is wise woman whom Amy sees as her mother by virtue, much like Charles is a father to Sonic. I have gotten to know this kind-hearted lady in recent months, and I am proud to call her my friend. Ladies and gentlemen, Vanilla the Rabbit."

The same applause came again for Vanilla as it had been for Uncle Chuck. She arose from her seat and ascended the stairs, nodding to her daughter on the way up. With a curtsy to the queen, she arrived at the podium.

"Thank you all. Now, I'm not as well-known and respected as much as Charles, so most of you do not know who I am. As Queen Aleena stated, my name is Vanilla the Rabbit.

"Thankfulness. Sonic, Amy, think about that for a moment, would you? What are you thankful for? Are you thankful for your speed, Sonic? Are you thankful for your hammer-swinging abilities, Amy? Those are fine, but here's what you should be thankful for, and it goes without saying: each other.

"Now you two already know that, but here is why I bring it up." She turned to the congregation. "Years ago, my daughter, Cream, and I were abducted by Eggman. As much as I feared for my own life, I feared for my daughter's life more. I couldn't bear the thought of her being harmed in any way. But then you happened, Sonic. _You_. You did the one thing that I could not do. You saved my daughter. And then you saved me. I didn't care what happened to me; I only cared for the safety of my daughter, and you returned her to me!" She began to cry. It was understandable, to say the least.

"And that was not all! The beautiful young lady to your left, the one you are interlocked in arms with at this very moment, you have saved her too! Amy, you have been my little Cream's best friend for years. Amy, you have been like a second daughter to me. You have been on adventures with my Cream for a long time now, you have protected her from harm, and most importantly you have been a friend-. No, a _sister_ to her.

"I am thankful for a few things. I am thankful that Amy is here, that she has been a sister to my daughter, and I see her not as just a friend of my Cream, but as _my_ daughter too. And now, I have the opportunity of a lifetime to see one of my daughters get married today and have her sister be her maid-of-honor.

"And Sonic, I am thankful that you have been in my life as well. Not just because you saved me…" she wiped away another tear, but could not stop crying, "… but because of you, I have the best blessing in the world. I have my daughter! I have my _daughters_! You have been the best kind of friend and protector to them! If it was not for you, I would not be here, but more importantly, _they_ would not be here! Amy would not be ready to take life's biggest step with you, and personally, I have the opportunity to be here today, look at how both of you have grown into the best kind of people you could ever dream of being, and I get to see my sweet, little Cream be the maid-of-honor.

"I am thankful for the daughters in my life, and I am thankful that you, Sonic, have given them back to me time and time again. I will never be able to repay for what you have done, and I can only say, 'thank you', for what you have done for me.

"To conclude, Sonic, I want you be wake up in the morning with Amy by your side, and be thankful for her. Be thankful that this strong lady has been able to put up with you through thick and thin, and will do so for the rest of your lives. Amy, be thankful that you have finally gotten the man of your dreams. You have told me time and time again how your dream was to be with Sonic for the rest of your life. In a few minutes, your dream will come true. Be thankful for that. And finally, you two need to be thankful for each other. When you wake up in the morning, and you look each other in the eye as you wake, be thankful that you two will respect and love each other. Be thankful that the one opposite of you will cherish you, support you, and be with you through the best and worst of times. And when the day comes that your lives are over, be thankful that you got spend it all with the friends you've had, and that one person who will love you until the very end. Good luck, and thank you."

Tears streamed down her eyes as she finished, getting a round of applause as Chuck did. As she walked towards us, Amy let go of me and ran to her, hugging her tightly, thanking her dearly for the kind words. She was right in saying that Amy was her daughter. Amy let go of her pseudo-mother to let he come to me. I had to hug Vanilla too for the wonderful speech she gave. She was right in saying that I was thankful for Amy. How could I not be towards the best thing that ever happened to me?

She broke it off and hugged the Queen before taking her seat next to Chuck. Amy and I took our seats once again as my mother took the center stage.

"Thank you to Vanilla for the wise words for Sonic and Amy as well. That was a beautiful speech, Vanilla. I know that Sonic and Amy will hold that ideal close to them at all times. Thank you Chuck, for being the father-figure that Sonic, regrettably, never had, and thank you Vanilla for being the mother that Amy never had. They would not be here today if not for what you have taught them.

"It is at this time that we begin the heart of the ceremony. Sonic? Amy? It is time." We nodded and arose from out seats, still locked in arms as we faced the Queen together. "Please turn and join hands." As we did, Amy gave her bouquet to Cream. We took each other's hands and looked directly at each other's eyes. I found myself hypnotized by her jade green eyes once more, knowing that our time as separate individuals was drawing agonizingly close to its end.

"It is said through the elders and past rulers of this planet that holy matrimony of two young lovers is to be pure, free of mistrust and dishonor, and last forever, 'til death do you part." Don't say that, mom. I feel like may keel over at a moment's notice given that I'm scared out of my wits.

"Prince Sonic?" Here we go. "Do you take Amelia Melanie Rose to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health, for rich and for poor? Do you vow to treasure her and protect her until the day you die?" Time seemed to slow down to a weak crawl at that moment. Breathe in, breathe out. In, out. In. Out. "If so, answer, 'I do'." Here goes everything.

I nodded and looked Amy in the eye. "I do." Her graceful smile grew ear-to-ear as another tear rolled down her face.

"And do you, Amelia Melanie Rose, take Prince Sonic to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, for rich and for poor? Do you vow to treasure him and protect him until the day you die? If so, answer, 'I do'."

"YES! I mean, I do." We chuckled at her enthusiasm. I found it cute and I completely expected it. She chuckled nervously, and through her veil, I could see her blush.

"And with this ritual, do you, Amelia, agree to take on the title, rank, and responsibilities as a Princess of Mobius as the royal laws of matrimony state? If so, answer, 'I do'."

"I do," she stated with purpose. When she had said it, my mother motioned a guard to bring out a beautiful and solid gold tiara which was placed on her head that was adorned with diamonds and rubies of red and blue.

"And now, if you two would say your joint vow."

We nodded and said simultaneously, "I vow to love you forever, to strengthen you when you need it, to honor you, to respect you, and be faithful only to you. I vow that forever you will be mine and I will be yours until the time comes for us to depart from this world of the living. I will protect and support you for the rest of my days and love each day as I love you now."

"It is at this time that you two exchange rings." We nodded. I turned Cream and she gave me the ring which had the not-as-beautiful-as-her diamond resting on it. I slipped it onto her precious finger and it shined on cue. However, it still didn't shine as much as her face did when I slipped it on.

"With this ring, I do wed thee," I whispered.

Amy then turned to Tails, who gave her the simple, golden ring that I would wear for years to come. She slipped it onto my finger and it showed the perfect fit.

"With this ring, I do wed thee," she whispered back.

With that, mother turned to the audience and asked the final question of the day. "If anyone has any legitimate reason why this man and this woman should not be married, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

If any fan-girl comes rushing through those doors and objects, I'm gonna sic Amy on her. So far there wasn't any. No one is going to make a fool out of us today. Please, everyone, maintain your silence for just a few seconds more! Better yet… MOM, HITCH US ALREADY! ENOUGH WAITING!

"No one? Alright then." YES! "By the power vested in me, as the queen of the Planet Mobius," YES! YES! "I hereby pronounce you, Sonic, and you, Amelia, husband and wife!" I shuddered with happiness that it finally happened. YES! YES! YES! Amy looked like she was going to faint from all the excitement. She began to hyperventilate, but she stopped herself before she got too carried away. "You may kiss the bride." You don't have to tell me twice. I lifted her veil to see her beautiful face in all its magnificent beauty and her radiant smile that rivaled the radiance of the sun.

"I love you!" I said.

"I love you too!" In one fell swoop, I slid arms behind her back and head as she did her into my neck. Before I did it, our foreheads rested against each other, looking into each other's eyes. I love you. I tipped hand that held her head and broke the barriers of her lips, taking in all of her love and exerting all of mine onto her.

I couldn't stop my tears from running down my face. These were the tears of joy and happiness. She cried too, crying the same emotion-laden tears that I was, soaking our cheeks at that moment. I could faintly hear the congregation clapping in celebration for us. I want nothing more in life. I have her. I will always have her. And she knows she will always have me. I love you, Amy. I'll always love you, and it will be the greatest honor in the world to be your husband and the father of our children.

We had to stop for the end of the ceremony, and the crowd still applauded and gave us a standing ovation. I saluted them with two fingers, and offered my right arm to Amy. She clung onto it, a bit too hard at that as I flinched.

"Sorry."

"It's alright, _Mrs. Hedgehog_." Her eyes lit up again at that gesture, clenching it more.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Mom bellowed, "IT IS MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE TO YOU MR. AND MRS. HEDGEHOG: PRINCE SONIC AND PRINCESS AMELIA!"

"Long live Prince Sonic! Long live Princess Amelia!" the crowd yelled back.

"Battalion!" Manic yelled. "About face!" At his words, the soldiers at the end of each row turned in to face the middle of the aisle. "Present swords!" At his words, their swords were drawn and lifted at the same time, leaving a very nice SHING sound to it and a tunnel of steel for us to walk through. Manic looked back to Amy and myself and nodded. We knew what that meant. With Amy still holding my right arm, we descended gracefully and walked under the drawn swords as our groomsmen and bridesmaids followed suit until we had reached the narthex, where I pulled her in once again.

XXXXXXX

Okay, dude, focus. You've danced with her so many times before. Why should this be any different? Oh, yeah… the whole planet's watching… again… and the media… and mom… and my friends… and the security guards… and the night janitor.

"Sonic, loosen up, it's a dance and dinner," said Tails.

"You're right."

I could hear an unmistakable sound of microphone feedback resonate from the next room. What was even worse was that I had an earpiece installed in my right ear, and a microphone hidden on my black tuxedo to use in the coming minutes. I wish I got to wear this tux for the ceremony instead of the royal uniform. Oh well. Too late now.

"Attention, everyone!" the herald announced. "It is that this time that we begin the royal festivities of this evening! Before we introduce the prince and princess' groomsmen and bridesmaids, we ask that you please stand for Her Highness, Queen Aleena I! She is escorted by Sir Charles the Hedgehog!"

I couldn't see it, but mother was being introduced first to the small crowd that I knew compromised of the rest of my friends, Sonia's friends (the LaTours'), the orchestra, the security guards, that annoying herald, and the soon-to-be-leaving media. No one else.

"Introducing next, the brother and sister of Prince Sonic, please welcome Prince Manic escorting his sister Princess Sonia!" That must be awkward having to escort your sister. Personally, I think Manic escorting Mindy LaTour would've fit better. As for who Sonia would be escorted by… well, Montclair is WAY out of the picture, it'd probably be Dingo. Strike that. That'd be worse.

"These next two arrived from the Sol Dimension and currently rule their homeland with a just hand and kind hearts! Please welcome King Silver the Hedgehog and his Queen, Blaze the Cat!" I had to give it to Silver. How he had the cojones to ask her out to begin with astounded me. He claims he had an once-in-a-lifetime chance and he took it. I think he just got lucky.

"Next, this man is one of G.U.N.'s top agents, they both are masters of Chaos powers, and are Mr. and Mrs. Ultimate Lifeform! Please welcome Shadow the Hedgehog and his wife, Maria Robotnik-Hedgehog!" That flamboyant herald could've gone without rattling off the first part of her last name. "Robotnik" still wasn't a liked name in these parts. But Maria did have one thing on her side: whatever ol' Ivo was, she wasn't, and we loved her for it.

"For our next two, she is another one of G.U.N.'s top agents, and her husband is the guardian of the Master Emerald on Angel Island, and it was just found out that they will be having a little one around in a less than seven months! Please welcome Knuckles the Echidna and his wife, Rouge the Bat!" Okay, sure these two fought… a lot… but they still made it work. Knucklehead wished that Rouge didn't work so often, and Rouge probably wishes that Master Emerald shard on her wedding ring was bigger. Since she was now pregnant, she was regulated to being a "behind-the-scenes person" on missions.

"And now for the Prince's best man and the Princess' maid-of-honor! These two have been some of the greatest friends of the newlyweds for a long time now, and it was only fitting that they be honored with these titles for today! Please welcome the best man of Prince Sonic, Miles "Tails" Prower, and the maid-of-honor for Princess Amelia, Cream the Rabbit!" I heard that these two were getting serious. _Really serious_. And good for ol' Miles. He needed something, or someone, to get his mind of off the technological hoopla from time-to-time.

Now it's our turn in the spotlight.

"And now, the man and woman of the hour! The bride and groom! Please welcome, His Majesty, Prince Sonic and his bride, the newly-crowned Princess of Mobius, Princess Amelia!" We stepped out from our separate rooms and walked down the stairs on opposite sides of the large hall. She still wore her magnificent dress from earlier, but she had had a tear-away part added, shortening her dress so that she could dance formally and not trip over herself. The last thing we needed was her to fall and possibly have a miscarriage. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if that happened. Here's hoping it doesn't.

But wow, even with her dress shortened, she still looked amazing. Her eyes welled up with tears, about to break loose at a moment's notice as we stared at each other as we descended slowly, letting the shutterbugs get their front-page pictures for the next day's news. Go ahead, take all the pictures you want. You still won't be able to catch all of her beauty.

The staircases finally joined together. As we met, I bowed as she curtsied. I offered my left arm for her to take. She did and we walked down the remaining stairs, rendezvousing with our friends and family, being right in the middle of them all. From our left to our right, it went Mom and Uncle Chuck, Blaze and Silver, Rouge and Knuckles, Amy and me, Cream and Tails, Maria and Shadow, and finally Sonia and Manic. We all smiled (in Shadow's case, devilishly smirking) as we posed for a large group picture with all fourteen of us neatly lined up.

When the shutterbugs were done, the herald spoke again. "If I may please have everyone's attention!" The room went quiet. "Before we begin the royal feast in honor of Prince Sonic's and Princess' Amy's marriage, we must adhere to the royal traditions of the wedding reception! It is tradition that before we begin eating and drinking that the royal newlyweds begin the festivities with their first dance as husband and wife! If we could have the dance floor cleared, we would greatly appreciate it!"

Granted, the floor was clear to begin with, but still, that was the people's cue to disperse and take their seats. Of the fourteen of us, ten of us sat down on a higher level than everyone else, made especially for the groomsmen, bridesmaids, mom, and Uncle Chuck. The only four that did not sit were my angelic bride, my sister, my brother, and me. Manic and Sonia joined the orchestra, with Manic on the drums and Sonia on the grand piano. Amy and I took our spots in the middle of the dancefloor.

A microphone was turned on by Manic and he said, "Alright everyone, the song that my brother and my new sister-in-law will be dancing to is a tune that my sister and I picked out for these two. We've been working on the Edwin McCain song, 'I Could Not Ask for More" with our brother for the last few days, so here's hoping that everything goes according to plan. Sonic? Amy? From all of us here tonight, we would like to congratulate you on this wonderful achievement that you have accomplished today. This one is for you."

We both nodded and the lights were turned down low. The only lights were the ones above us, positioned to follow us wherever we went. It would be a slow dance, so there was going to be no need for the gaffers to try and keep up to a fast-paced rumba or tango. The crowd applauded us as we took our positions. My left arm looped around her waist as her right arm looped around my shoulders. Her left hand and my right hand were interlocked by the fingers and the arms were bent so that they wouldn't stick out.

"You're singing to me? On our first dance?!" she said while barely containing her enthusiasm.

"I sure am. I thought you'd like it even more if I was the one to sing it to you. That and we were too cheap to hire a wedding singer." She giggled in response. "You look even more beautiful than before, Amy."

"And you look handsome as ever, my Prince Charming." When she got done saying that, I flipped the mic on.

The soft sound of Manic's drum play went nicely the sweet sound of the violins as the song had begun to play. I began to slowly pivot my body, leading the dance with my sure feet. A guitar began to play as the first verse was about to begin, and so started the song, as sung by yours truly.

" _Lying here with you_

 _Listening to the rain_

 _Smiling just to see the smile upon your face_

 _These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive_

 _These are the moments I'll remember all my life_

 _I found all I've waited for_

 _And I could not ask for more_

" _Looking in your eyes_

 _Seeing all I need_

 _Everything you are is everything to me_

 _These are the moments_

 _I know heaven must exist_

 _These are the moments I know all I need is this_

 _I have all I've waited for_

 _And I could not ask for more_

" _I could not ask for more than this time together_

 _I could not ask for more than this time with you_

 _Every prayer has been answered_

 _Every dream I have's come true_

 _And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be_

 _Here with you here with me"_

Her dreams were finally coming true. Mine were too. I kissed her on the forehead and she rested her sweet head on my chest as we quickly repositioned our arms and hands so that her arms were wrapped around my neck and mine around her waist, pressing our bodies closer together. Sonia's piano skills were put to good use in a brief solo, and did she do it so well.

" _These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive_

 _These are the moments I'll remember all my life_

 _I've got all I've waited for_

 _And I could not ask for more"_

My voice grew in loudness for the last refrain.

" _I could not ask for more than this time together_

 _I could not ask for more than this time with you_

 _Every prayer has been answered_

 _Every dream I have's come true_

 _And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be_

 _Here with you here with me_

" _I could not ask for more than the love you give me 'cause it's all I've waited for_

 _And I could not ask for more_

 _I could not ask for more"_

I flipped the mic off as my vocal bit was finished, letting the soothing drum beat and soft violins end their melodious tune.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Sonic."

As the music faded, I dipped my head and kissed her softly, but with all the passion I could give. This was the reason I flipped the mic off. I didn't want anyone to get grossed out at the sounds of our lips and subtle moans. My left hand went to the back of her head, pulling her in more for a deeper kiss and to keep my balance. We kissed for the remainder of the orchestral score.

We stopped as the crowd applauded us and as the taste of strawberries danced in my mouth. What I did next probably wasn't in the royal instruction manual for wedding dance protocals, but like I keep telling myself: I'm not one for tradition. I went down on both knees as she remained upright. I slid my hands down her body and stopped at her waist, gently kissing her stomach.

"Hi, guys," I whispered. "It's your daddy. It's amazing that you're here with your mom and me today. I can't wait to meet you three. I love you guys, and I can't wait to be your dad." As I went back up, Amy was about to shed another tear at my gesture. "I thought that if we're _all_ here, they should get some attention too." She hugged me again, kissing my cheek as I laughed, hugging her tighter.

"You'll be a great father. I know it."

"And you will be the greatest mother on the planet." She looked up at me, kissing me again shortly before letting me go.

I flipped the microphone back on and faced the crowd. "Thank you everyone for attending. It really means a lot to Amy and me that you came out to see us tie the knot and whatnot. You guys in the media who're packing up right now; you can stay for one more song. Trust me, you'll wanna see this. I have one more surprise for my bride, Amy, before we begin feasting, so please bear with me." I took my wife by the hand as I lead her up onto the bandstand where the orchestra sat, waiting for the next tune.

"Alright, boys," I said to them, "Time to play our Andy Griggs piece." They nodded and began to turn the pages to the correct song. I turned back to Amy. "This is a song I picked out just for you, Amy. You and a lot of other people say that I am the hero, but the truth is, you're the reason I do the things that I do. You're my motivation. You are my heart and soul, and I wouldn't rest until all is safe, and when I get to come home to you. I love you, Amy. With all my heart." She mouthed the words back to me as a love-struck smile graced her façade. "I think this tune will explain what you mean to me, my Rose." I was given an acoustic guitar and I gestured her to sit down on a chair on the end specifically for her. "To those listening to me, here's 'She Thinks She Needs Me'."

I began to play my six-string, and the others playing it began too. Sonia chimed in with her piano and Manic with even softer drum play. Violins began another round of glorious play as the lyrics rolled off the tongue.

" _She thinks I walk on water_

 _She thinks I hung the moon_

 _She tells me every morning,_

' _They just don't make men like you'_

 _She thinks I've got it together_

 _She swears I'm as tough as nails_

 _But I don't have the heart to tell her_

 _She don't know me that well_

" _She don't know how much I need her_

 _She don't know I'd fall apart_

 _Without her kiss, without her touch_

 _Without her faithful, loving arms_

 _She don't know that it's all about her_

 _She don't know I can't live without her_

 _She's my world, she's my everything_

 _And she thinks she needs me_

" _Sometimes she cries on my shoulder_

 _When she's lying next to me_

 _But she don't know that when I hold her_

 _That she's really holding me, holding me_

" _She don't know how much I need her_

 _She don't know I'd fall apart_

 _Without her kiss, without her touch_

 _Without her faithful, loving arms_

 _She don't know that it's all about her_

 _She don't know I can't live without her_

 _She's my world, she's my everything_

 _And she thinks she needs me_

" _Yeah, and the funny thing is_

 _She thinks she's the lucky one_

" _She don't know how much I need her_

 _She don't know I'd fall apart_

 _Without her kiss, without her touch_

 _Without her faithful, loving arms_

 _She don't know that it's all about her_

 _She don't know I can't live without her_

 _She's my world, she's my everything_

 _And she thinks she needs me_

" _She thinks I walk on water_

 _She thinks I hung the moon"_

I let the pianist, drummer, and the orchestra do their things as I put the guitar down and walked up to Amy. Her smile was priceless. It may have been the happiest smile I had ever seen from her, including hers during the ceremony. She took my hand and quickly wrapped her arms round mine in a loving hug. I hugged her harder, letting a tear of joy of my own escape as she held me.

I can only dream that every day with you, Amy, will be as memorable as this one. But there's one thing you can do that makes me very happy. You will make every waking moment with me and you together an adventure. And I can't wait for the biggest adventures you will share with me. Being a great husband, and a great father to our children.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Ironic chapter titles are ironic._

 _So right now, you may be feeling like a million bucks because of this was the story's fluffiest and cutest chapter to date. You also might have noticed that this chapter was much longer than others before it. Well, this chapter alone had over 10,000 words in it. The next closest one was chapter 8 at over 6,500 words (that does not count author's notes/descriptions). So yeah, this one was a marathon compared to others, but I felt that when it came to the wedding chapter, I needed to go all out and make it as big as possible as a wedding should be in terms of flushing out all of the things that make a wedding so special. Overall, this chapter was one of my favorites to work on. The longer chapters in this story are among my favorites because I believe that I put the most polish on those._

 _Picking out the song for Sonic and Amy to have their first dance with was an absolute chore. It wasn't that I had the crappiest time finding one, it was that there are many good ones to choose from. Other songs that I thought of were "Amazed" by Lonestar, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith, and "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, just to name a few. However, I chose Edwin McCain's "I Could Not Ask for More" because of how many religious lyrics were thrown into it. This fits since a wedding is supposed to very religious in the first place and it fits my beliefs and faith as an Evangelical Lutheran. As a result, "I Could Not Ask for More" is my personal favorite ballad, and it just has a very romantic feel to it in terms of how it sounds. I can't get enough of the orchestral sound of it. Overall, it just sounds traditional, just how a wedding should be._

 _Religion and personal beliefs aside, the second song stems from how much I absolutely love (American) country music from my childhood. Andy Griggs' "She Thinks She Needs Me" was a song I just heard on the radio one day and it sent me on a nostalgia trip to when I was a youngster and first heard the song. It's amazing how an older song from your childhood will bring you back to a better time when we were young. But to get back on track, the song also fits one of the story's underlying themes of Amy being Sonic's rock and foundation. I already talked about it from our neighborhood blue blur's perspective already, so I won't go any far into it. Well… actually… I did put one of the lyrics into chapter 7 when the two hedgehogs were still in bed, but I completely forgot to mention it there._

 _If you haven't already heard of these songs, here are the links to hear them on YouTube._

 _(Edwin McCain) watch?v=4yGuy6mcxI0_

 _(Andy Griggs) watch?v=6wTTuuNupYw_

 _So as for the next time I update, chapter 12 will be up 8/16 and will mark the end of Part I, and then chapter 13 will be up on 8/24. Part II is going to be a much different experience than Part I, but I'll get more into that when I upload chapter 12._

 _All the characters (save for Max Titus and Hector "Hex" Wilson) are the property of SEGA. The songs included in the story are also not mine and the property of their respectful owners._


	12. 12: If 3's a Crowd, Then What's 5?

**Ch. 12: If Three's a Crowd, Then What's Five?**

SIX MONTHS LATER

 _***Sonic's POV***_

I can only imagine what must be going through the head of the intern at the front desk. Maybe she's telling her coworkers about her date from the previous night with the "hunky" male nurse from I.C.U., telling her friends how it could possibly lead to more. Maybe she was getting ready to leave for the day, packing up her gear and making sure that she had her jacket and purse. Or maybe, just maybe she is just coming in to work. It was only a little while after noon, so maybe she has a later shift that messes up her entire Saturday afternoon and night.

"WOULD YOU HURRY UP, SONIC?!" Amy screamed as she was being carried in my arms. She was right though, but I wanted to remain as calm as possible given the situation. However, going too fast would jeopardize any chances of me being a father. She begged that we used the car, but given that we were headed to the Mobian Royal Hospital in Mobotroplis, a big city in the height of rush hour, that would take forever. And besides, it was sunny and 75°F on a day in late March. How weird was that?!

To get back on track, I wanted to be a dad as soon as possible. Ames wanted the future royal offspring out of her too. And to think, I was about to enjoy a plate of chili dogs when the water broke. I sure hope the dogs are still warm when I get back home. Doubtful.

Seventy miles per hour was fast enough and were going to be there soon. I had called ahead to mom, Sonia, Manic, Tails, and the rest of the motley crew to meet us there.

My wrist communicator of a guitar medallion went off. Wonderful. Just what I needed at the current moment. I had two hands on her, but my right arm was able to handily hold Amy in place as I grabbed my medallion with my left.

"This isn't exactly a great time to call me, mom!"

"Sorry, it's just that we want to know where you two are! Everything is all set, so where are you?!"

"Hu… Hurry, Sonic!" Amy cried out.

"Well, mom, we'll be through the doors in 5… 4… 3… 2…," I said as I slid to a stop as the automatic doors opened, "and… 1." I stopped in my tracks with my broken-watered wife still safe in my arms.

"It's about time!" screamed the future grandmother.

"It was either go faster or risk the kids! I think I made the ethical choice!" I jogged over to the nurse, who waited with a wheelchair. I set Amy in safely.

"It's alright, Your Highness. You're in good hands now," the nurse assured her. She nodded amid the pain and went in ahead of me.

"I'll be with you soon, babe!" I said as she went through the doors. "Where is everyone else?" I asked Sonia. "I would've thought they'd be here by now!"

"They had a slight delay. I don't know if you noticed, but the traffic today in town sucks."

"I noticed. Alright then, notify me when they get here!" She nodded, and I raced in to find Amy. One of the doctors told me "Room A113". Let's see… A101, -03, -05, -07, -09, -11-.

"AHHHH!" Yep, that was my Amy. I burst in through the door.

"I'm here, babe!"

"Thank goodness!" The tears she cried were that of pain and joy… but mostly pain. It was pretty obvious to decipher why she shed them. The doctors were finishing setting up.

"We are ready to begin," the tigress doctor said.

I quickly put on scrubs of my own and took a seat next to my wife, taking her by the left hand. Truthfully, G.U.N. training taught me how to deliver a baby myself (having to do it one on a mission in Apotos), but I didn't have the equipment, nor the patience, back at home to deliver the three there. Besides, I had just shampooed the carpets yesterday.

"You've got this, beautiful."

"Even when I look like a mess, you still call me 'beautiful'. I love you."

"I love you too, Ames. Now, let's meet our kids."

XXXXXXX

It's a foregone conclusion that I'll have to see a doctor specializing in hand repair surgeries when this was over, BECAUSE MY HAND HURTS LIKE HELL! We've been at this for _hours_ , and I still haven't seen a single one of my children! I thought I was the only one who could be this stubborn! And it wasn't anything Amy was doing wrong; it was just that these kids probably wanted to stay inside where it was warm.

"One more push, and we'll have the first one out, Miss Rose!" Uh-oh. You shouldn't have called her _that_.

"THAT'S _MRS. HEDGEHOOOOOOOOOOG_!" Her last scream signified her last push as a cry came out from down under.

"The first one is a boy!" the doctor exclaimed. "Sonic, would you like to do the honors?" she asked holding a pair of clean scissors. I let go of Amy's grip for one second, getting the blood flowing in my hand and clipped the first cord. As my little bundle of a boy was taken away to get cleaned, the next one would soon be out.

"One down, two to go, babe!" I could hear my theme song deriving from my phone. "This is Sonic!"

"How are things, going on in there?"

"Well, I've lost all feeling in my right hand and we're onto the second one right now, Tails."

"YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE FOR HOW LONG AND ONLY _ONE_ HAS COME OUT?!"

"You can't rush perfection, Tails!"

"C'mon, Sonic; drop the ego! This is hardly the time for that."

"I didn't call myself 'perfect' Tails. I'm talking about my kids!"

"One more push, _Mrs._ Hedgehog!"

"Gotta go, Tails!" I ended the call rather quickly as my angel squeezed my hand hard.

"Okay, _now_ it's one more!"

"AHHHHHHHH!" A second child began to cry loudly as another offspring was born. The doc offered me the scissors again, and I did it again.

"Your second child is a beautiful girl."

"Good job, angel. We still got one more!" I said. "We're almost, done. Just hold on!"

"What do you think I've been doing?!"

My last child came after ten minutes of hard labor, and once again, my hand went numb from the copious amounts of clenching that Amy had on it. I just gotta force down the pain and keep in my mind that it'll be worth it.

"One last push and… it's another girl!" When the last cry heard, only then did Amy sigh in relief. I clipped the third and final cord and went to kiss my wife.

"You did great, Ames."

" _We_ did great." That we did. I kissed her on the lips as my second daughter was taken out to be cleaned off as Amy was getting cleaned too. "You aren't going to pass out on us, are you?"

"No. I want to see them just as much as you do." As if on cue, my phone rang again. "Who is it?"

"The Queen." I slid open the phone and pressed the speaker button. "Mom?"

"Are you two alright?! You've been in there for-!"

"We're just fine mom. We're done. Congratulations, mom, you're officially a grandmother." I could hear her sniffling on the other end. Go figure. "You and the gang can come on down now."

"We-We'll be there soon!" She ended the call, leaving my wife and me in the room alone since the doctors were done cleaning her up.

"I can't believe this is happening," she said with teary eyes.

"The fact that the worst is over or that we're parents?"

"Both." She grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me tight for a kiss as I held her head.

"I'm so proud of you. I could never go through something like that."

"Yeah, I know."

The group of Mom, Sonia, Manic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Uncle Chuck and a _very_ pregnant Rouge stepped in, asking where the children were. Jeez guys, calm down. Good things happen to those who wait.

The sounds of light sniffling and crying came through the door as three doctors came in with one blue blanket and two pink ones, and nestled inside each one of them was one of the greatest things to ever happen to me.

"The children are all perfectly healthy. One boy and two girls. Prince Sonic? Princess Amy? Congratulations."

We nodded, and our friends wanted first dibs at seeing our kids.

"Hey! I think Amy and I deserve to see them first!" The group receded like Eggman's hairline and backed away as the nurses gave us our kids one at a time.

Amy was given the blue blanket, our first-born, in her right arm, our first girl/second-born in her left arm, and I was given our second daughter/third-born. Amy and I came closer to put the triplets together, freeing their heads from the blankets.

Oh… oh, my.

A single tear graced my face. Amy had more waterworks than I did. _We_ had done this, and now we received the benefits. We couldn't speak clearly. It was so… so beautiful to see our three little kids now with us. The rest of the group went "awwww" as would anyone when they first saw a newborn child. But this time, there were three. Three little hedgehogs, the most beautiful beings in the world, and they were all ours.

Our firstborn, the only boy, was graced with my blue fur. I had seen baby pictures of myself from when I was this small. He had the exact same lighter blue color that I was born with (before my fur went to its current royal blue), making him practically a clone of me. He opened his eyes, and my clone analogy was only supported more. He looked at us with those graceful emerald green eyes, the same emerald green eyes that I had.

Just to his right was our second-born, his first sister. She was the perfect mesh of Amy and I's color fur. She was a peaceful violet, the same color as lavender, and just as precious as the flower. Her adorable face sported three little, facial quills, the same color as her fur, looking just like Amy's own three bangs. Her eyes were my wife's; a joyous jade green.

And finally to her right was the last sister, a spitting image of Amy herself, the only difference being that she was graced with deep pink fur, a slightly more vivid shade of pink than Amy had. Oh, and her eyes made her look like her beautiful mother all the more with sparking jade green eyes and three quills, just like her sister.

The three looked at us with tears in their eyes, but with confused looks to boot. "They're… they're… they're…" What could I say? Words couldn't do the justice what I was feeling in my heart. They were perfect, adorable, sweet, cute, and many other adjectives that still did them no justice. And they were our kids. _Our kids._ This was something Amy had probably dreamt of for years. Being a mother to our children, and now it was a reality. A dream come true for her and me.

"They're beautiful," I forced out. I put my arm around Amy and kissed her cheek softly, getting an accidental salty taste of her tears in the process.

"Y-Yes they are," my wife squeaked.

"Hey, guys," I said softly. "This is your mom, Amy, and I'm… I'm…" I had to wipe away another tear. "I'm Sonic. *LOUD SNIFFLE* I'm your dad!"

We all came in for our first official family group hug, shedding more tears of bliss. The angels began to moan and squeak, indicating that we were suffocating them with love, so to speak. Better get used to it, you three. We let up on the hug, but my arm was still around Amy and our kids on our laps.

"Can we get a picture?" asked a teary-eyed Cream.

I looked to Amy. "Wouldn't be a bad idea, but I'm such a mess," she choked out with a smile.

"Nonsense. You look great with three kids on your lap."

We turned out children to face the few girls that had their phones or cameras out to get a picture of us. It was Amy and I in the back from left to right, and it was our blue son, lavender daughter, and our deep pink daughter from left to right. We put on our most loving smiles as the kids seemed to be distracted by something, probably the small mass of estrogen ready to snap some photos.

"Smile!" said Cream as the few girls began to take pictures of us. But someone (Sonia) forgot to turn off the flash and my kids cried because of it.

"Jeez, Auntie Sonia, don't blind the poor children!" I jabbed. She did like I did and rubbed the back of her skull in embarrassment.

I felt a sudden tap on my left shoulder. When I turned, I saw Tails, Knuckles, Manic, and Uncle Chuck lined up. "Congrats, Sonic," said Tails as he offered a hand. I shook his hand, and the rest of the guys' as well.

"Thanks."

"So what are you going to name my grandchildren?" asked the Queen.

My wife and I looked at each other. That was a good question. We never did talk about names for them, mainly because we didn't know how many of which sex we would get and that we spent most our time in the nursery… and arguing which color we would paint the room. Was it wrong to say that I wanted royal blue-painted walls?

"Well, Amy, what should we name the new prince and princesses?" By definition, because I was a prince, my children were also given that title. I should probably teach them not to throw that title around like it's the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card.

"Well, I'm open to ideas."

"Jak!" Sounds too much like a video game character.

"Mary!" Too old-fashioned.

"Emerald!" Not bad, but no, Rouge.

"Jewel!" Too fancy, kinda like Rouge's suggestion.

"Knuckles!" DEFINITELY NOT 'KNUCKLES'.

"Shadow!" Okay, none of our kids have black fur, red striping, _or_ a bad attitude.

"Sonic, Jr.!" No. Don't feed my ego.

"Mario!" AND _THAT'S_ WHERE I DRAW THE LINE!

"GUYS!" I yelled. The room went quiet. What I found more surprising was that my three angels didn't start crying when I yelled. "These aren't your kids, their mine and Amy's. Name your own babies." Another collective groan from the group soon followed.

"Well, Ames, do you have any ideas?"

"I would, if I could think without everyone yelling names," she jabbed, eyeing everyone. All of them looked away nervously, some even whistling. Yeah, you'd better feel bad.

Well, let's start with how they look. Let's see… "Lavender" and "Rose" for the girls' first names are too flowery for my tastes. Besides, it'd be too easy to name them after a flower. My middle name of Maurice? No, I can't be that cruel to my cobalt blue son. Wait, THAT'S IT!

I traded my youngest child to Amy for my son, holding the new prince in my arms, and he cuddled into my furry chest, nearly falling asleep in doing it, prompting an "awwwww," from the ladies. "Cobalt," I said. "Cobalt Dexter Hedgehog. 'Cobalt' for his cobalt blue fur, and 'Dexter' from that time Amy tried to convince me she had a boyfriend all those years ago." She looked up, thinking about my logic for a second, then back to me with a smile.

"I love it."

One down, two to go.

"Your turn, Ames."

I wondered about which one she may have tried to name. I assumed our lavender daughter. Don't do what I did and name him after a color (or a flower).

"I don't know why, but 'Desiree' is floating in my mind." Desiree. I like it.

"Well then, 'Desiree' what?"

"Desiree Lavender? Kinda like her fur color and how much I like flowers?" I wasn't wild on the flower bit, but at least it wasn't the first name.

I gently picked up light purple daughter and she snuggled into my right arm. "Desiree Lavender Hedgehog," I announced.

Now for the deep pink lass. The new mother and I were a bit hesitant to say something at first. Now what would my dear Amelia like? Wait… Amelia _Melanie Rose_. Huh, this naming thing was easier than I thought.

"Lemme steal your name for a second, honey. Melanie Rose, for your middle name and your old last name."

"Hey! It says clearly on my drivers' license 'Amelia Melanie _Rose-Hedgehog_ ', thank you very much!" Damn. Shot down like a Star Wars TIE fighter. "But I do like your logic." Oops, never mind.

She took the small pink child and nuzzled its face, sparking a small chuckle from the infant. Insert ladies' "awwwww," here. "Melanie Rose Hedgehog," she announced, now taking my recent gimmick.

"Are you two settled on the names then?" asked the Queen. We nodded. "It is settled then. Prince Cobalt, Princess Desiree, and Princess Melanie."

"You know that we're going to teach them not use their titles, right, mom?"

"I know. I just wanted to make it official. That's all."

"Can we hold them now?" asked Cream. We chuckled at her statement and nodded. She came up and picked up Lavender from my grasp and held her close, rocking her slightly, but still asleep. Rouge and Aleena asked as well for a chance to hold them, and they got Cobalt and Melanie respectively. Rouge would be holding her own in a few weeks (or even days), so this was practice for her. And mom? Well, since the little guy looked exactly like did over twenty-three years ago, this must have been a trip down memory lane for her.

But after a few minutes of rocking, the babies, as if one consciousness, all began crying. To see the girls trying to calm the kids down was pretty funny, and their expressions were all Kodak moments in my eyes. Amy and I began chuckling as I still held her hand.

"I think the kids need their mom and dad," I quipped. They all agreed and they handed our angels back into our arms, where they stopped almost instantly and fell back asleep. Cobalt was in my arms and the girls were all together in her mother's.

"If the rest of you could leave, please," the tigress doctor said as she walked back in, "I believe it's time the newborns and mommy get some rest." As the rest of my friends and family began to walk out the doctor turned to me. "I'm sorry to say this, Prince Sonic, but that includes you too."

Tigress say whaaaaa? "Awww, but these are my kids!"

"I'm sorry, sire, but it is standard procedure." Jeez, "tradition" sure has been kicking me around a lot lately. Oh, well. It was worth it.

"Alright," I finally said, handing Cobalt back to Amy. As I began to head out, I realized something. "Hold on, doc, I need to do something first." She nodded and gave me a look that said, "alright, but make it quick".

I walked back to my wife, who still held out three angels snugly against her. She looked up to me. "What is it?" I chuckled at the statement and bowed my head to kiss, holding her head in my hands to get all the love I could get out of her before they'd have to bring out the "jaws of life" to separate us. I threw in a little tongue, which she moaned at, loving every minute of it as I did.

As I ended the kiss, my attention went back to my three kids. I kissed them all gently on the head, getting a weird look out of Cobalt and Melanie, but a simple stir out of Desiree. "I love you four so much. Cobalt? Desiree? Melanie? Welcome to the world." I turned back to Amy. "I'm so proud of you."

"Hey, you helped out too, y'know."

I came in and kissed her again, getting that strawberry sugar rush once more. As I ended the kiss I said, "I love you."

"I love you too… daddy." I chuckled. Yep, I'll have to start getting used to that title. As I waved good-bye, I shut the door behind me.

"That was really beautiful, Your Highness," said the tigress as she began walking with me.

"It's all part of being a husband." I led off as I turned back to the room, "And a father."

"I have no doubt that you'll a great father, sire."

"Well, I don't know about that, but I'll certainly try. And please, call me 'Sonic'."

"My apologies, sire. It's just that I don't deal with you or the Royal Family all too often. And don't sell yourself short on being a dad. Take it from someone who's had three kids of her own. Parenthood is a learning experience, and it's one that pays off big time down the road."

I smiled at her. "Thanks for the kind words, Doctor…?"

"Tigress. Lupe Tigress," she said as she bowed in my presence.

"Please, doc, a simple handshake would have been fine."

"I'm sorry, sire, but like I said, I don't often deal with the Royal Family."

"Fair enough." I reached the double doors the lead into the waiting room. "Doc?" She looked at me. "When am I going to be able to see my family again?"

"I would say you'll have to wait until morning. They need their rest."

I sighed. "Alright, and doc?"

"Yes, Prince Sonic?"

"Thank you. For everything." She did her best impression of me as she whipped out a cocky smile and gave me a thumbs up. I saluted her with two fingers and went outside to find Tails, Cream, and Rouge. I needed to ask them something that Amy and I were discussing.

 **END PART I**

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Fan babies! Fan babies everywhere!_

 _This chapter was a much different experience than the last one, given that it was almost three times the length of this literary piece._

 _Finding suitable names for the kiddies was something that I had to do a lot of thinking about. I couldn't just go a simple name like John or Steve or Calvin or Bruce or Markiplier or Vanoss or Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen (IT WAS HIS HAT, MR. KRABS! HE WAS #1!). I didn't want to do Flash or Speed because those two names, while appropriate for the son of a freakishly fast 3'3" hedgehog with a chili dog fetish and his pink-furred stalker, have been done to death. I thought Cobalt was initially a very unique name, given the color of his fur, but then I found someone else who had it. Hence the middle name of Dexter, to help differentiate them. I thought Dexter was a very appropriate choice. If you don't know what Sonic meant by "'Dexter' from that time Amy tried to convince me she had a boyfriend all those years ago," that's a reference to the Sonic Chronicles, an RPG. As for the sisters, Desiree is named after an old friend of mine from high school who, no matter what sport she played, would always find herself to be named an all-conference athlete. And as for Melanie, well, it goes back to me adding in Amy's pseudo middle name in chapter 9. I think that Melanie is a very cute name for a girl, and if I were to have a daughter, I'd probably name her that. So that's "Coby", "Desi", and "Mel" for you guys._

 _And now for the important part. This chapter effectively ends Part I of Affairs of State. I alluded to this in other author's notes/descriptions, but I'll say it again. What happened in Part I sets up what will happen in Part II. Part II is much darker than Part I and is inspired by darker literature and movies. Think of Part I as being the calm before the storm. While it will contain some SonAmy-oriented scenes, things are going to get intense... well, more intense than things were in Part I anyway. I won't give a whole lot away, but I will say that the second half of Affairs of State was inspired by darker SonAmy fan-fictions, the James Bond (007) movie franchise, Batman (games and comics), the Watchmen comic book (a great read, even if you aren't a fan of graphic novels), and the TV series N.C.I.S. Chapters are going to longer on average than they were in Part I and will have more important content in terms of plot. I spent more time on Part II than Part I and it'll show because I believe that I put more polish into it. I like action sequences more than romance. While romance is nice, having it 24/7 in a story bores me and I need something else like a side plot or a different plot element to keep me interested._

 _As for characters, any characters you read in the story will be around in Part II. The story will be in Sonic's POV for the majority of the last twelve chapters as it was in the first 12 chapters. However, Amy and the kids will not be involved as much as they were in the first half, more specifically the second half of the first half, but that doesn't mean they're not important to Part II. On the contrary, they're extremely important. You just won't read about them as much. Instead, taking Amy and kids' places as characters with bigger roles will be Shadow, Rouge, and Dr. Eggman. And you will be seeing Titus and Hex return as well._

 _Finally, before I leave you, I just want say "Thank you" for the support you've given me as the story has been published. There are a few of you people on DeviantArt and that have favorited, followed the story, and have given me a lot of support for this story throughout its duration. You commenting and saying that it was a good chapter or something along those lines means a lot to me, and I just wanted to thank you for it. Thanks again!_

 _Chapter 13 will be out on 8/24 and the 14_ _th_ _part will be out 8/31._

 _With all that said, all characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and the SonAmy triplets) are the property of SEGA and their respective owners._


	13. 13: I'm Right Where I Need to Be

_**PART II: A New Threat**_

 **Ch. 13: I'm Right Where I Need to Be**

SIX YEARS LATER

 _***Cobalt's POV***_

"Shhh!" I whispered, trying to keep my hyper sisters from giggling like… well… little girls. "You two hafta stay quiet!"

"You be quiet too, Coby!" said Melanie.

We crept up the stairs in the early morning with my sisters following holding momma's present, taking it one step at a time. I quietly turned the doorknob and opened the door. Eww… mommy's all hugged-up on dad again and sleeping on his chest! GROSS! Get a roo-! Oh, wait…

I signaled my sisters to walk in slowly and silently. We stopped quickly when the floor creaked. BUSTED. But that wasn't the case. Momma only moved a little, but not daddy. He mumbled something like, "No, mommy, I don't wanna wear the pink dress! I wanna wear the green one."

I turned back to Desi and Mel and jerked my head for them to keep moving. They set the present on the trunk that was at the end of their large bed. We silently and softly crept up onto their big bed and waited if they would wake up. They didn't. Time to have some fun!

"On '3'," I whispered. They nodded. "1, 2, 3!"

"SURPRISE!" They jumped up from their hugging session and screamed out, not knowing what happened. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

 _***Sonic's POV***_

These kids will be the death of me, I swear.

"Gotcha!" said my little Desi as she and her siblings were having a great time at Amy and I's expenses.

"Did we you get you good, mommy and daddy?" asked sweet Melanie.

"Well, you nearly gave us each a heart attack!" I said.

"They got their rambunctious natures from _you_ , 'daddy'." Amy said, obviously displeased.

"Shut up."

"What does 'rambunctious' mean?" asked Coby.

"It means, 'noisy', sweetheart," said Amy. "Now why did you three wake us up so early?"

They got off the bed and showed us something that I didn't expect, and I'd put good money down that Amy didn't either. A cake. A pink cake. With the "2" and "7" candles waiting to be lit for my wife's 27th birthday and red frosting that read, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!".

"Happy birthday, mommy!" they said in unison.

"Awww, you guys. Thank you!" They set the cake back down on the trunk and flooded their mother with big hugs.

"Hey! Where are _my_ hugs?" I asked playfully.

"It's not your birthday, daddy!"

"Oh, that's it, Desi!" I plucked her off Amy and began my playful torture. Fingers moving? Check. Desi bare-footed? Double check. Time to go to work.

"DADDY! STO-AHAHAHAHA! STOP! HAHAHAHA!" My fast fingers gently scraped her bare feet, sending her into a ticklish frenzy, unable to stop.

"And now the armpit…"

"DA-HAHAHA-DDY!

"And now the feet again…"

"STOP IT! HAHAHAHA! ST-HAHAHA!"

"I'll only stop when you apologize!"

"I'M SORR-HAHAHA! I'M SORRY!"

I stopped, giving her a chance to catch her breath, still chuckling. "You shouldn't have been so mean to your poor, old daddy then, sweetheart," I teased.

"If we're all done tickling the living daylights out of our children…"

"SHE STARTED IT!"

"When did you guys make this cake?" asked Amy, trying to get back on topic.

"Better question. _How_ did you make this cake?" They were all only six years old, after all.

"Who said _we_ made it?" Cobalt retorted. "Auntie Cream and Uncle Tails came by earlier to drop it off. Do you like it, momma?"

Amy was still on the verge of tears. The kids had somehow planned this all out (or maybe it was the Prowers' idea) and now there it was, by the look and smell of it, a strawberry cheesecake with a chocolate graham cracker crust. Being the great baker that I know Cream is, it would no doubt taste delicious, especially for the strawberry-scented hedgehog that sleeps with me every night.

"I love it! Thank you!" The kids all came in for another hug from Mother Dearest. I scooted my way in to kiss her on the cheek. "Why don't you three take it downstairs into the kitchen? We can have it with our breakfast." Amy, you know not the terrible thing that you have done.

"CAKE FOR BREAKFAST?!"

Amy nodded. "But only after you eat the rest of your breakfast first." They groaned. "Think of it as a dessert to go along with breakfast. Now run along. Daddy and I will be with you shortly." With that, they took the cake back down the stairs as Cobalt shut the door.

"Happy birthday, _sexy momma_ ," I said as I put my arms around her.

"Sonic!" I chuckled as she blushed. I kissed her forehead and brought her in for a closer hug. For a few minutes, it was just us. It's not too difficult to feel nostalgic on a birthday, even though it wasn't mine. Twenty-seven years, and I've been around her for nearly nineteen of them. Time flies, that's for sure.

"We should probably get down quickly, Sonic. The kids will want that cake."

"I guess you're right, Ames. Besides, I need a bacon fix." She rolled her eyes at my goofy sentiment. As she got out of bed, I smacked her on the rear end through her deep purple nightgown, earning a death stare, countered by my own sexy smile. She smirked.

"I'll have to punish you later for that, y'know."

" _Oh, I'm counting on it_ ," I said as I winked at her. I got out of bed, took a hold of her left hand, and kissed it as well as her ring as she came down the stairs with me.

Before the kids and I knew it, before all of us were separate morning-meal food platters that included many classic breakfast essentials. Crispy bacon, scrambled and sunny-side-up eggs, hash browns and breakfast potatoes, sausages, _strawberries_ , and cinnamon toast. Oh… cinnamon toast. The holy grail of baked breads. Topped with a sweet butter, sprinkling on more cinnamon and brown sugar… oh, it was edible heaven (please excuse me as I'm currently having a foodgasm). Topped off with a big ol' glass of chocolate milk and I was a happy guy. Amy can sure cook, that's for sure. Anyone else's culinary skills where a distant second, even Cream and her cheesecake-baking skills wasn't up to snuff. It's a good thing that I ran as much as do, or I'd be living out a bad nightmare as an obese, greedy hedgehog.

Breakfast ended and it didn't take us long to get the kids to their soccer tournament in downtown Mobotropolis. Despite us all living out in the country, it really wasn't a long drive to the planetary capital city and get to the park-and-rec fields on the north end of town. Besides, living in close proximity to my brother, sister, mom, the Prowers', and the castle was a real necessity, given that Amy and I had royal duties at least once every month.

On the triplets' park-and-rec soccer team was Emerald Maria, or Emma, as she liked being called, and was Rouge and Knucklehead's little six-year old girl, born only a week after the triplets. A bat with pink fur that meshed her parents' fur colors well and had her mother's purple wings, she was treasure savvy like her parents, but with a more conservative touch, and looked exactly like her mom. She was a pretty little thing with pink fur like Melanie's, the only difference that it wasn't as vividly colored as my little girl's, meaning it was slightly paler. It looked more like Amy's slightly lighter shade of pink more than anything else. And little Emma loved our girls too, being best friends with Desi and Mel, and having a _big_ crush on Coby since the day he got some bullies off of her back when they were four-year-olds. It was kind of funny how a blue hedgehog saved a pretty pink lass and how the pink lady liked the blue boy in return (and made sure that everyone knew it), even if the blue boy didn't show the same feelings. Trust me, son, you'll enjoy the feelings one day.

Their team won the city park-and-rec championship with a perfect 14-0 in the regular season and went 3-0 in the tournament to sweep the regular and post-season titles, capped off with a game-winning goal in the last minutes by Desiree, and a game-saving deflection by Coby as time expired, winning the title match 2-1.

They had a good coach. My kids were stars on the team, as was little Emma on the defensive end, but their coach was something else. Ol' Tails knows how to coach a winning squad. I'm more surprised that he volunteered to do this, fit in time to tinker, and play husband with pregnant Cream. Is there anything the guy can't do?

After the game, we went out for ice cream. It was my family, the Prowers' and Knuckles with Emma. Rouge wasn't with her little girl because she was on assignment during the time, but would be back in time for Amy's 27th birthday party later in the night, according to Knuckles.

As we came back into the house, the kids and I were not ready to clean up the house for the small get-together that would commence later in the night, but we agreed that it's best not to argue with mom. Otherwise, it'd be spankings the size of her Piko Piko Hammer for the lot of us. The kids were tasked with cleaning the dining and living rooms, as well as their own rooms as I had the hallways in addition to the parental chambers. Amy had the basement and kitchen.

A few hours in and it was time to clean out the closet. Let's see… jeez, darlin', you need to clean out your dress collection! As I moved inside more, I found pairs upon pairs of shoes that she rarely wore anymore and in the deep recesses, I found our old wedding get-ups.

The nostalgia took over and I pulled both of them out and laid them on the bed. Hmmm. There should be a photo album to go along with this. I went back into the closet and reached into its deepest recesses and struck gold. I pulled out a perfectly kept and white binder adorned with a plush fabric covering the whole thing except for a small window on its cover that read, "Memories". I set the soft book down on the bed and took the wedding clothes by their hangers back to the closet. Before putting my royal uniform back in, I held it up in front of me in the mirror. Man, it's hard to believe it's almost been seven years now since I've last worn this old thing. I could still see myself. I had just turned twenty-three a week-and-a-half prior to the big day. Nowadays, I wouldn't change a thing about the wedding.

I put it back in the closet, sat on the edge of the bed, and put the binder on my lap. As I flipped the cover, I heard a door creak from a few feet away. I looked up to see Cobalt, Desiree, and Melanie creeping in slowly.

"Hey, guys. Did you need something?"

"Well dad…," started Coby, "we were kinda hoping we could hide in here. We're tired of cleaning."

"Yeah. Can we hide in here?" asked Melanie.

I chuckled and smiled warmly at them. "Lucky for you guys I'm hiding in here too. Have you been cleaning non-stop?" They all shook their heads. "Alright then. C'mon in. You three deserve a break." They all smiled and shut the door silently behind them and came to me at the edge of the bed.

"Whatcha got there, daddy?" asked Desiree.

"Well, I was cleaning out the closet and I found this old thing."

"What is it? And what's this word?" She pointed to the "Memories".

"That word is 'memories'. Memories are something in your head that you remember doing. You three remember when you guys won the soccer championship earlier today, right?" They nodded again. "That's what a memory is. Between you and me, I think you could learn more things from your mom and me than in school."

"Dad, school ended last week."

"And lookie here! You're learning something new right now!" They all groaned. Schooling was obviously the last thing they needed at this time of the year.

"This book contains pictures and other things that happened to your mom and me in our lives, memories that we both remember. Would you guys like to see them?"

"Yes!"

"Climb on up!" They reached the bed and crowded me on all sides, waiting for me to begin. I flipped open the first page, to see the first picture. "Alright, you three… I know you see your dad as the big, strong hero, but even I was small fry like you." I pointed to a picture taken shortly after my birth with Aleena, Manic, and Sonia there too. "That guy in the middle is me when I was born. The purplish girl is your Aunt Sonia, the green one is your Uncle Manic, and the one holding me is your Grandma Aleena."

"That's Grandma?!" asked Mel.

"Uh-huh. This was taken almost thirty years ago. You guys will learn soon enough that time flies faster than you might think." I pointed to another picture. "This is your great-Uncle Chuck. You guys met him once when you were small, but unfortunately he died shortly after your guys' birth."

"I'm sorry, daddy."

"It's alright, Desi. I know that Chuck is in a better place. He was like a father to me. He raised me along with two people who you never met either." One of these days I'll have to look up to see what happened to Bernadette and Jules.

"Who were they, then?"

"I'm not going to tell you guys that now. I don't want to bombard you with who some of these people are."

"Bom-what?" asked Coby.

"'Bombard' means that there's too much of something, Coby, like 'bombarding' vanilla ice cream with too much chocolate syrup."

"Dad, there's nothing wrong with that."

"I never said there was. But to get back on track…" I flipped the page where some of Amy's baby pictures came up.

"Daddy, why is a baby picture of me in here?" asked Mel.

"That's not you, Mel. That's your mom."

"That's mom?!"

"Yup. Your mom's parents took this picture when she was just born. I never got to meet mommy's parents. They died shortly after I saved your mom. Which brings us to…" I said as I flipped the page. There was a newspaper article from nearly two decades years ago. "… the first time I met Mommy."

"You've told us this story before, I think," said Coby.

"The one where I saved your mom from Robotnik? I mean, 'Eggman'? Yeah, I think you're right."

Coby chuckled. "Heh. Ro _butt_ nik."

"Yeah, I mocked him by calling him that too. After I saved mommy, she was never too far behind me. She always followed me wherever I went and she got really annoying."

"But I thought you could run faster than anybody? Couldn't you just run away from her?"  
asked Desi.

"Well, Desi, I did… a lot. The thing with your mom was that she could find me anywhere. Even if I was in space, much less a different planet, I swear she could find me there too. Your mom's always had some sort of way to find me. When I was younger, I found it very annoying. Her world revolved around me. She loved me from the day that I saved her."

"She was that bad, dad?" asked Desi.

"Yeah, but after a while, I began to respect your mom. She could, and still can, hold herself in a fight. She battled Eggman with me, Uncle Tails, Uncle Knuckles, and the rest of my friends for years. Lemme show you some of the adventures your mom and I shared. I have pictures of those too."

I scrolled the next few pages, stopping at scenes from our adventures. Twinkle Park, Space Colony ARK, that rooftop in Grand Metropolis, our run-in after we beat the Egg Emperor, Westopolis, Spagonia (day and night), Shamar (also day and night), my 16th birthday party, napping with Knuckles and Tails after the adventure on the Lost Hex, the EX World Grand Prixes, and a few other events. They seemed really into the fact that she always was there with me, whether it was fighting alongside me or cheering me on from the sidelines.

"Why didn't she always help you in big fights, like against Eggman or that robotic you, dad?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't know, Coby. It could've been that she knew I could handle the troubles that I faced, whether I had, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, or in one case, a younger version, to aid me. Besides, your mom, for as long as I've known her, had always believed in me."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Mel.

"Well… ever since I saved your mom for the first time, she saw me as someone who could do no wrong, like an angel. _Her_ angel. She always believed in me. Sometimes it was in a fight, sometimes it was something else. She believed that I could do anything. I had not thought about it much, but she made me feel like I really could do anything. Sure, everyone knew I could save the day, but your mom's belief in me… well… it's hard to describe. Maybe because she loved me and believed in me so much that it was the difference between me winning and losing. Mommy's faith in me hasn't let up once. Not even when I didn't want any kind of date when we were younger. I guess she also believed that one day, I would sweep her off of her feet, tell her how much I truly felt about her, and say that I loved her."

"Did you ever do that?"

"Well, I didn't sweep her off her feet _literally_ when I first told her that I loved her, but yes, I did."

"Oh, no; is this part where it gets all mushy and stuff?"

"Yes, Coby, it is." He rolled his eyes, but his sisters wanted to know more.

"Tell us the night you fell in love with mommy," begged Desi.

"Alright, I'll tell you." I flipped to the night of Knuckles' and Rouge's wedding day. "Before I start explaining, I want to tell you guys a quick story. There was a time when Eggman had been arrested for doing the things he did in the past. So for a while, without him trying to take over the world and whatnot, I was pretty bored to say the least. But to pass the time, I did something that Rouge recommended I do. Be a spy."

"COOL!" said Coby, now tuned back in.

"Well, just because I was a spy with your Aunt Rouge and ol' Shadow, that didn't mean it was always me saving the day in a black tuxedo 24/7 like in the movies. I started being a spy at nineteen years old and crossed the globe many times to fight bad guys that weren't Eggman. I liked it for a while, but I got out of the game for a few reasons."

"What kind of reasons?"

"Well… first off, you kids have to understand that when I was a spy and went all over the world that there was also a lot of danger that went along with it."

"Coooool!"

"No. _Not_ cool. You guys are too young to understand this, but this kind of danger could have killed me. That's not to say that Eggman couldn't have done so years ago, but this wasn't like fighting the doctor. I saw a few people…" I couldn't say 'die' in front of my kids regarding such a touchy subject. They were so into my story that I couldn't tell them what exactly happened.

"'You saw a few people' what, daddy?"

"That's something you won't understand until you're older. I'm not going to tell you because you're too young, and that it just brings up a lot of pain when it comes to this kind of thing."

"Where are you hurt, daddy?" asked Mel. "Do you need me to get you a bandage?"

"No, it's not that kind of pain, Mel. It doesn't have to do with me being physically injured. It's a pain that's been on my heart for years now, and I can't tell you what that is because I don't want you to feel that kind of pain. Can you understand that?" They nodded, but looked like they all gone into a small depression just from how I said it. "C'mere, guys. Daddy could use a hug."

I set the book aside and my daughters and son embraced me with a warm hug full of the purest love. I gripped them all tightly as a single tear rolled down my face, but was absorbed by Desi's shirt. I doubt she felt the drop. Yes, the deaths of Cyrus, Jonathan, and Jaime still haunted me, though their deaths didn't haunt me as much as they used to. They were more limited ever since I started a romantic relationship with Amy and all the things that I did with her (dating, marriage, kids, etc.). The pain still lingers, but it wasn't as bad as it had been previously.

I released their hold. "Thanks, guys. I needed that."

"Anytime," stated Mel.

"Alright, to continue the story, I didn't want to be a spy anymore. It wasn't fun anymore. Taking orders, globe-trotting; it got boring. I needed a change of pace. That leads me into my second reason. Amy."

"You mean mommy?"

"Yes, Coby. Mommy. You see this picture of your Uncle Knuckles and Auntie Rouge getting married? Well, after the ceremony, during the reception, you mom came in. Oh… I can still see your mom now. She had a jade green dress that matched her eyes magically. I hadn't seen mommy ever since I became a spy, and well, I saw her look so beautiful. I never realized that your mom looked so gorgeous, and I know "love at first sight" is said to be a bunch of hooey, but from the moment I saw your mom's drop-dead gorgeous eyes, I fell in love."

"Awww," said Mel and Desi.

"Yuck!" retorted Coby.

"Don't say, 'Yuck!', Coby. Pretty soon you'll be falling in love."

"Love stinks! And don't tell me that I'll be falling in love with Emma either!"

"Love's the only reason you're alive right now."

"Huh?"

"Sorry; you're too young to understand that too. To continue… that night at the wedding, I danced with your mom, I played hero when a few drunks tried to do more than dance with her, and under the stars I told her that I loved her. At the time, I was still working as a spy, but because I was with your mom then, I formally got out of being a spy.

"You can see by some of these next few pictures that you're mom and I did almost everything together after I quit being a spy. Movies, dinners, Olympics, video game sessions, etc. After a while though, the government wanted me help them again, meaning that I had to leave your mom for a short while… on her 20th birthday no less. Now that I think about it, it was seven years ago today that I had to leave.

"Did you leave?"

"Yes, but not until the next day. After I got done saving innocent people, I came back home to a homecoming party and later that night, I knew that I wanted to be with mommy for the rest of my life, so I asked her to marry me."

"Awww!"

"She said yes, and two-and-a-half months later, we were married. You can see here in the album me in my royal uniform, your mom in her wedding dress, my groomsmen, her bridesmaids, and some photos of me and your mommy dancing at our reception."

"Hey dad, what's with you kissing mommy's belly?" asked Coby.

"Well… that's kinda hard to specifically explain. Long story short, when your mom and I got married, she was pregnant with you guys at the same time. So technically, you guys were at my wedding."

"So we came out of mommy?!" asked Coby, obviously horrified.

"Yeah. Mommies always have babies."

"HOW DOES THAT WORK?!"

"Cobalt… that is another concept that you and your sisters are too young to understand. When you get into high school and have a Health class, then you'll know."

"Ohhhh," he groaned.

"Cheer up, kiddo. It didn't turn out too bad. I mean I've got an awesome son and two beautiful girls that I can call my kids." They all lit up and gave me a big hug. "Alright guys, release the daddy. I'm having a difficult time breathing at the moment." They let up. "I think you guys got you hugging abilities from your mom. But anyway-."

"Dad, what's this disc?" asked Desi as she pointed to a piece of platinum.

"Oh! Well, your mom and I had our wedding recorded, so this disc would show our wedding ceremony and the after-party."

"Really? Can we watch it?!"

"Absolutely!"

"Oh, come on, dad!"

"Son, it's best not to argue with women. It's _never_ going to turn out well for the guy. And besides, it's either this or cleaning."

"I'll put it in." I thought as much.

Cobalt plucked the protected DVD from the scrapbook and placed it in the disc player that Amy and I had set up in our room when I first moved in just before the wedding. I flipped the TV and was about to hit "play" to start it.

"Aren't you four supposed to be cleaning the house?"

"Uh-oh… busted," said Coby. You said it, pal. We all turned around to see Amy in the doorway with a none-too-pleased look on her face.

"Hey, babe. We're just taking a little break from cleaning."

"I see." Her eyes were fixated on something. "Oh, you found the old book?" Her look changed. For the moment, we were off the hook.

"Yeah," I said. "I was cleaning the closet out and found this old thing. I thought since birthdays are meant to reflect on one's life, I thought I'd reflect on ours… and the kids wanted to see what we were like back in the day."

"Huh. Did you tell them about the many times you stood me up on dates?" Thanks, Ames. Because I really needed to feel embarrassed in front of the kids. Thanks, hon. You're the best.

"Uh… hehe… yeah… sorta… no… not really…" I said as I scratched the back of my head while the kids giggled. "Wanna take a trip down Memory Lane?"

She chuckled and smiled. "Maybe for a few minutes."

She climbed up on the bed with me and sat to my left, with the kids in front of us and my arm around her shoulder. What was a "few minutes" turned into watching the entire thing front to back. I didn't realize that someone had been filming in both of our dressing rooms prior to the actual hitching, and thankfully they only filmed us when we were all fully clothed.

We watched as my groomsmen and I walked down the aisle, the bridesmaids, Amy in all of her white, angelic glory, the words of encouragement and then the vows. When our joint vow came up, I pulled my arm back and grabbed her right hand as we said with the video, "I vow to love you forever, to strengthen you when you need it, to honor you, to respect you, and be faithful only to you. I vow that forever you will be mine and I will be yours until the time comes for us to depart from this world of the living. I will protect and support you for the rest of my days, and love each day as I love you now."

The kids all looked at us like we had just lost our minds, or maybe they were flabbergasted that after nearly seven years of marriage, we still said it at the exact same pace and how we remembered it perfectly. Then came the rings and the official hitching of us, and as we saw our past selves share a deep kiss, I kissed the same bride, albeit for a shorter time. It would've lasted longer had the kids not started gagging at our lip-lock. Trust me kids, you'll be wanting this one day.

The movie then cut to the reception later in the night, and kids were all so proud that they could name all of our bridesmaids and groomsmen when they descended the dual stairs that eventually convened. I still thought that Sonia being escorted by Manic was weird beyond belief considering they were [my] siblings.

It then cut to our first dance as a married couple dancing to "I Could Not Ask for More" by Edwin McCain and me serenading Amy with "She Thinks She Needs Me" by Andy Griggs. I softly hummed the tunes as they played and will state that my singing was better live than on a disc.

The rest of the video had Tails' embarrassing roast/best man's speech, Amy and I dancing some more, and a few scenes of my friends and family getting down with their bad selves. Examples included Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Silver and I all drunk and singing and dancing onstage to "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars with our girls looking on with embarrassed faces, save for Rouge, who was laughing way too hard. Another was Amy feasting on an odd food combination. Prime rib with au jus sauce, a generously-frosted piece of cake, and a few pickles. What was more disgusting was that she was mixing them all into one thing. The kids were appalled of such a culinary combo, to say the least, and I had to explain to them that when Amy was pregnant she had to deal with odd food cravings (there was one worse about a week after the wedding where she mixed smoked salmon with hot fudge, caramel, and refried beans, but I didn't tell them that one). Oh, and who could forget the debacle that was when we all tried to do the Electric Slide and it turned into bodies upon bodies of drunken partiers (Amy wasn't involved in that one because she felt like something bad was going to happen, and I hated it when she was right)? And that's where the footage stopped, going back to the main title screen once again.

"Wow," said Desi with a tear in her eye. She wasn't the only one with tears. Her sister and mom both sported matching sets too. I slid my arm back around Amy and gave her a quick cheek kiss.

I put the disc back into the scrapbook. When we began looking through it again, I passed by some more of the wedding pictures since we had seen them in the video. The next few photos were of Amy and us, and slowly but surely, her belly was growing with the three little tikes. Our honeymoon in Adabat, preparing the nursery (which was painted royal blue), and then their births were among the photographs in there.

We explained to the kids that they didn't want to come out right away given that it took hours of labor just for Cobalt to come out. But after that, it was smooth sailing with Desiree coming out second a few minutes after her brother, and Melanie about ten minutes after her sister.

Melanie asked if there was video of their births. Thankfully, there wasn't. I didn't really feel like traumatizing the kids at their young ages. But there were plenty of pictures of them in their parents' arms.

"Dad?" asked Cobalt, "How did we get our names?"

"Well, we named you 'Cobalt Dexter' because of your fur color, _cobalt_ blue, and Dexter because years ago, your mom over here tried to convince me that she had a boyfriend named Dexter."

"Well, it's a good thing that mom's a terrible liar." I could feel Amy's body temperature rise like magma in a volcano. Way to go, son. You have effectively pissed off your mom.

"Uh, Coby, you might want to say that you're sorry!" I said in a nervous sing-song voice. "Because if you don't, you might get a spanking!" The look of fear and despair on his face was priceless.

"Sorry, mom," he shyly admitted. Amy's core temperature was going down now, but she wasn't going to let him forget it anytime soon.

"What about me, daddy? How was I named?"

"Desi, sweetie, your mom can answer that one. I wasn't the one who picked your name out. Ames?"

"I really don't know why I chose 'Desiree' in all honesty. It just popped into my head. It sounded exotic, I didn't know anyone named Desiree, so why not? And your middle name came from your fur color; your _lavender_ purple fur color. Desiree Lavender. Get it?" She nodded.

"Then there's me," stated Melanie.

"Yep, then there's you, angel," I said. "You were pretty simple. Your mom's middle name is Melanie, and before I married mommy, her full name was Amelia Melanie Rose. Your middle name was mommy's old last name before it became Rose-Hedgehog."

"How come her last name is 'Rose-Hedgehog' while yours is 'Hedgehog', daddy?"

"Well-."

"I wanted to keep my maiden name just because I was known more by it, I guess," Amy interrupted. "But I really wanted to be called 'Mrs. Hedgehog' too. A lot of women do that, actually."

"Really?"

Amy nodded. "Alright, you three… I think you've had along enough time on your cleaning breaks. Back to work!" The children groaned.

"I'd do as she says, kids. The last thing you need is a spanking with that hammer of hers," I warned. They all got up, still upset that they were forced back into the labor that Mother Dearest had put onto them, but it was better to clean than the alternative. Believe me, kids. Take it from someone with experience. As they left, Desiree closed the door since she was the last to leave.

"Well, I guess I'd better get back to the closet." As I tried to get up, Amy grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down.

"Oh no, you don't."

"What?" Cue the confused look on my face.

"Mr. Hedgehog," oh, this can't end well, "I need you to do something for me."

"O-Okay?" I don't like where this is going…

"Remember that little slap you gave me earlier?" Heh, sure do. Wait, where's she going with this? "You need to be _punished_." The way she said it, the way she looked at me… I was wrong. This was gonna be goooood.

"Oh, really?" I said as I returned a sexy look. "How so?"

"It is time for you to be punished."

"So… what's my punishment?" I asked as we shared a brief, but fiery kiss.

"Your punishment is to do something that I've been waiting a long time for." I liked where this was going, but wouldn't the kids hear us? "We won't be doing anything _real naughty_ , but I think the time is right since it is my birthday," she said as her fingers slowly tip-toed their way up my fuzzy chest.

"What did you have in mind, _sexy momma_?" My arms slid around her back as her own pair made their way around my neck.

She came up to my ear and whispered, "As punishment for your _bad_ behavior, _daddy_ , I want you to love me… _badly_." Dohohohohoho…

We inched closer and closer… "I think I can do that," I said as I stared deeply into those jade green wonders.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

I pulled her in, breaking the barriers and gave her own long and spicy kiss. One thing led to another as I pulled her down on the bed, laying next me, exchanging short kiss after short kiss. Ohhhhhh my… this was long overdue. I fiddled with her pony-tailed quills, letting the band go and giving her quills their much needed freedom. She grabbed one of my back quills, stroking it, stoking my fire, and making me put more passion into my kisses. She began to moan silently, but had to keep it quiet since we had company in the house, and having them walk in on us would be the worst thing in the world. In fact…

I stopped for just a second and went to the door. She looked plenty irritated that I had stopped, but I had my reasons. With one flick of the door knob, I locked the door. "Now no one can interrupt us." Her evil smile returned as she gestured with one finger to come and get it. I slowly made my way to the bed again and she pulled me back down with me yelping subtly.

We resumed our overdue make-out session as she slid her arms around my back, pulling me in for more, playing with my cranial quills. My hand was behind her head, pulling her in more too. My right arm began rubbing her back, going up and down as her other hand was playing with my tail. Ooooooh, right there… The hand that now was on her back made its way down to her left leg, caressing it, moving up and down it, exploring her more and more.

Then she threw in the tongue. Oh, yes! I followed suit, turning my burning coals into an all-out forest fire. More… MORE… MORE! She was on top of me now and continued to rock my world as she kept on using the body's strongest muscle. To one-up her, the hand that caressed her leg, grabbed her rear end, spanking it, earning a yelp.

"Naughty *KISS* boy; *KISS* momma *KISS* punish." Yeah… punish me. Punish me good.

She started to slow up. She wasn't using her as much tongue as I could hear her beginning to gasp for air as I was. My hands were now around her back and waist, still keeping the loving embrace up. Her arms found their way to my neck once more as she had officially stopped using her oral organ. Now it was just us on the bed, slowly kissing each other, respecting each other as we both caught our breath and let our hearts start slowing down.

We stopped, but our hold on each other remained intact. We opened our eyes, and we just stared at each other, becoming lost in each other's eyes. I kissed her softly, making her blush all the more. When we stopped, our foreheads were resting against each other. We listened to each other breathe softly as we maintained eye contact. We pulled each other in tight, simply hugging each other, letting nothing from the outside come near us. I began to purr, and she returned the favor.

"You never cease to amaze me, angel."

"Same goes to you, Sonic."

Oh, those eyes. Those magnificent eyes. Their pure greenness had me lost in a luscious forest of the same color, but I didn't want any way out. I wanted to remain lost in them. They were that beautiful, that captivating. It was like Davy Jones loving the sea. I loved her eyes. But then again, I loved everything about her.

"I'll always love you, y'know."

"I know you will, just like I love you."

"Ames?"

"What is it, honey?"

"Have I served my punishment?"

She giggled. "I dunno, do you feel rehabilitated?"

"You bet I do."

"Hmmm… I'm not convinced."

"Well then, let me convince you some more, _birthday girl_."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _This is another case of me uploading a chapter a day earlier because of something coming up tomorrow…_

 _"When I hear her I can see her_

 _I can smell her sweet perfume_

 _I can feel her skin against me when I sleep_

 _Where I won't miss her_

 _I can kiss her anytime that I want to_

 _Yeah, that's right where I need to be_

 _Yeah, that's right where I need to be"_

 _From Gary Allan's song, "Right Where I Need to Be"... just so you guys and gals know how i got the chapter's title... that is, if you were curious._

 _In all honesty, it's really six years and three months that have passed, but "SIX MONTHS AND THREE MONTHS LATER" really doesn't roll off the tongue as "SIX YEARS LATER" does._

 _I know you were all probably expecting a dark chapter because I said that Part II would be darker, but in literature, you can't just rush into things, even if the subject is the Fastest Thing Alive. This chapter just shows what kind of a man Sonic's turned into. He's a loving husband (sometimes a little too loving for his own good…), a great dad, and a respected patriarch. Sonic's personality is based on how my dad has presented himself to me over the years as well as some of my fondest memories of him. The sequence of events where Sonic had his kids on his lap and looking through a scrapbook is something that my dad did with me and my sister at a young age. The only differences were that my dad and mom did not have a make-out session after my sister and I left the room and the fact that we didn't view their marriage on the TV via a cassette. Wow, I just dated myself by using the term "cassette", didn't I?_

 _As you read, six years have passed. I mainly did that because I didn't want to include scenes of Sonic and Amy's early parenthood. I didn't want instances of the hedgehog parents to have to face off against insomnia via their kids' crying during the night (I did that A LOT) or the madcap adventures of them changing diapers. That being said, it would've been funny had I included a scene of Sonic changing his son and to have his son use his dad for target practice. If you don't get that last sentence, take your time; you'll figure it out._

 _Anyway, the dark tone of the story will start in the next chapter and kick off the events to come in the next 11 chapters. Chapter 14 will be out 8/31 and the 15_ _th_ _will out on 9/8. Given that school will be starting up soon, expect every chapter starting with the 15_ _th_ _to be uploaded on a Tuesday morning unless otherwise noted._

 _All characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, Emerald the Bat (I know, a daughter of Rouge named after a jewel has been overdone, but I thought it was appropriate) and the SonAmy triplets) are the property of SEGA and their respective owners._


	14. 14: Compromised

**Ch. 14: Compromised**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

The wives were in the kitchen, sitting at the dining table with their cups of coffee. For Amy it was two sugars, and for Cream, it was one sugar and a splash of her namesake. The girls were idly chatting, probably spit-balling names for the twins that Cream found out resided inside her after a hospital trip a few weeks ago. The Prowers didn't know yet what sexes the twins would be. That'd have to wait another month or so according to the proud and nervous soon-to-be father.

The rest of us were in the living room. We set up a table and played with the children, getting our hind ends kicked by the four six-year-old kids in Monopoly. I had to remind myself not to get too into the game, given my competitive nature. That being said, Knuckles, Tails, and I were one hotel-renting from flipping the table, throwing the game into the fire-pit out back, and using one of Tails' experimental barn-burners to set the game ablaze better than our queenly friend in the Sol Dimension could ever dream of doing.

"If I land one another one of these stinkin' properties…"

"Calm down, Knucklehead," I quipped.

"And you calling me 'Knucklehead' isn't helping, Sonic!"

"Jeez, Knux, calm down," I replied. "Not in front of the kids," I warned in his earhole.

"Oh god, after all these years, and you two still fight over the lamest things," remarked Tails, prompting both of us to roll our eyes.

"My turn!" said Emma. Rolling a seven, she landed on her dad's property.

"Finally! That'll be 28 rings!" he said, now elated. But his daughter shot him a puppy-god look. Don't fall for it, don't fall for it, don't fall for it… "Oh, fine. I'll give you a pass this time, Emma."

"YAY!"

"Pfft. Sellout," Cobalt said lowly. Attaboy! I gave him a high-five, much to Knuckles' chagrin.

"I'll do anything to make my little girl smile."

"Even if it means losing, Uncle Knuckles?" asked Cobalt. He nodded, giving my boy a decent lesson when it came to behavior with the opposite gender.

"Anyway…" I said weirdly to get his attention, "when's Rouge coming over again?"

"Rouge had to talk to Maria about something. Maybe it was because she was pregnant? I'm not sure."

"Maria's pregnant too?"

"Yeah. Two months, just like Cream, by the sounds of it."

"Huh. Well, I'm surprised she didn't tell me or the Mrs. Hedgehog. Strike that, I'm more surprised that Shadow's going to be a dad. Wow. I guess we really are getting old, aren't we?" Before he could respond, the doorbell rang.

"That'll be Rouge and Maria," said Knuckles.

"Right. Amy?"

"On it, Sonic." I could hear my wife open the door, but something didn't sound right after the duo came in. Maria was asking for me, but it sounded more like she was pleading to see me. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

"Daddy, watch me roll!"

"In a minute, Desi," I told my daughter, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Sonic?" asked Amy with a twinge of worry. "Rouge and Maria need to see you for something." Both of them? By the sound of it, I thought it'd just be Maria.

"Be right there!" I saw my little girl roll a five, landing on that "Go" space, swiping 200 rings from the bank before I headed to the door with Knuckles and Emma in tow to see their wife and mom respectively for the first time in a few days.

They all expressed their love for the motherly bat, but when I turned the corner to see their faces, it sent a chill down my spine. I could tell Rouge was faking a smile at me (but not her family) and Maria's façade was on the verge of tears.

"I'm here," I stated. "What's up?" I took another good look at the distressed ladies. "Is something wrong?" Maria sobbed a bit, letting out a sad squeak as Rouge's fake smile turned to a frown with appropriately sad eyebrows.

"You could say that, Sonic," said Rouge in an odd tone. It kinda sounded like she was embarrassed about something, or the very least uncomfortable.

"Is… Is there somewhere we can… where we can talk, Sonic?" asked Maria amid the sobs.

I nodded and directed them to follow me. We went up the main stairs and went up to the roof of the spiral staircase, opening the door to the vibrant late spring sky as the sun still, nearing nightfall. Amy and I came up here many times when we were dating; just looking up at the stars on clear nights, finding as many constellations as possible, and it was easy to do so given that we lived out in the country, and a few times we slept in each other's arms under the stars. But I'll always remember this rooftop because of the night that I had to tell off ol' Max Titus that I wasn't interested in joining back up with G.U.N. I still remember that night vividly. Hell, Rouge saw the whole thing.

Maria, Rouge, and I were now completely alone. Time to hear what they needed to talk to me about.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" For a minute, they were silent. Maria was shedding tears faster than she make them, and Rouge was looking away and rubbing her arm as if she was embarrassed to say something. "Ladies, I can tell something's wrong, so what is it?"

"Oh, Sonic!" said Maria as she ran up to me and pulled me in for a hug. It was awkward to say the least, and I didn't immediately hug her back because I was confused as to what was going on. "Sonic, you have to help us! YOU HAVE TO!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said getting her off of me. "Calm down, Maria. Now tell me what's wrong. What happened?"

"Sonic," started Rouge, "we need your help."

"So I gathered," I replied flatly.

"This is serious, hedgehog!" she retorted immediately.

"So am I. So I need you to get to the point. Now what's wrong?"

"It's my Shadow," said Maria quietly.

"Shadow?" I asked. "What happened to him?"

"Sonic," started Rouge, "Shadow was sent on an op a few days ago…" An op? Oh, I think I know where this is going…

"Go on."

She hesitated for a few seconds to gather her thoughts. "Shadow was sent on an assignment a few days ago, and now we've lost contact with him."

"No offense, ladies, but that sounds like a G.U.N. problem. Besides, it's Shadow. What could've possibly happened to him?" Rouge walked up to me with a mad face and slapped me coldly. "OW! What did I do?!"

"Will you cut out the attitude for one minute, Sonic?! This is serious!"

"Okay. I'm sorry. Please continue."

Rouge took in a breath and said, "Shadow was sent on the assignment five days ago to the Shamarian deserts. He was sent to capture a convict that was broken out of maximum security prison nine days ago. Shadow was deployed, believing that he could handle the prisoner himself."

"But something happened, didn't it?"

"Yes," Rouge reluctantly said. "We lost contact with Shadow three days ago. We don't know what exactly happened to him."

"So he's been compromised is what you're saying? What does this have to do with me?"

"The escapee was placed under maximum security over a decade ago for his crimes against the planet, and his escape has been kept under tight wraps from the media. We don't want this news to circulate. The last thing we need is a potential worldwide panic knowing that he is out there again."

"Okay… who's the prisoner?" Neither girl answered me right away. "Girls, please tell me."

Rouge sighed. "Eggman."

WHAT?!

"What did you say?!" I asked furiously.

"The man who was broken out of maximum security prison… that person was Dr. Eggman."

"You have to be joking!" I could feel my right eye twitch vigorously.

"I wish I was."

"Hold on. According to a casefile that you gave me years ago, it said that Shadow was made to promise to keep Maria safe at all costs by none other than the fat quack himself."

"That's correct."

"SO WHY DID HE CAPTURE THE ONE MAN WHO CAN KEEP HER SAFE IN THE FIRST PLACE?!" The golden hedgehog began crying and sobbing loudly. Oh, wonderful… "Maria, I'm sorry about yelling."

"Sonic, focus. This is why we need your help. Eggman's out there. He's back, and from what little information we've been able to gather, we know for a fact that he's going after you." Yep, this was going exactly the way I thought this would go.

"And you're calling me in for this?"

"Yes. You know him better than anyone. Even Maria."

I was tempted to say "yes" right away, but a few things crossed my mind before I would take this up. "Does the Commander know about this?" She nodded. "I assume that Titus knows too." Ugh, I could swear I tasted venom whenever I said his name.

"Yes." I sighed, bowing my head. "Sonic, I know that you being called back in after such a long time is the last thing would want-."

"No, it's not that Rouge. Sure, I wasn't expecting this today, much less having to face the 'El Presidente', but it's just that… that… I don't want to leave Amy again."

"Trust me, Sonic. I feel the same way with Knuckles."

"But it's not just Amy, Rouge. It's my kids too. You probably feel the same way to Emma as I do my three kids. I don't want to leave them for anything."

She nodded. "You're right, Sonic. I do feel the same way about Emerald, but this is something that we can't take lightly. Who knows what he's planning, and since he's gunning for you, it's best to take him down as soon as possible."

I nodded, but sighed in anguish. "Alright, fine. I'm in. So when do I leave?"

"Immediately."

"Oh, come on! I don't even get to sleep with my wife for one more night?!"

"Sonic, think of the consequences of sitting around and doing nothing while someone like Eggman is out there, and lord knows what he's planning!"

My right hand came up to my face as I buried it in it, slowly taking my hand over my head, finally reaching the back of my head. "Alright, fine. But I need to talk to my family about this first."

"I figured you would. I need to do the same with mine." I nodded and turned back to a sad Maria. But now I saw something else. Hope; probably in me agreeing to help her. "Maria, you have my word that I'll get Shadow back. I know that Ivo is your family too, but I don't know what will have to be done to stop him. You have to understand that. Can you understand that?" She nodded and threw her arms around me.

"Please, Sonic. Bring my Shadow back! Please!"

"You have my word, Maria. Besides, Shadow will want to see what becomes of his child." Maria sported a brief smile. She briefly hugged me and we went back down inside.

Why do I have to keep leaving her? Why?! AND WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE IT'S ALWAYS ON HER BIRTHDAY?! Does someone up there have it out for me? And now she's not the only one I have to leave now. Oh, man… they're all not going to like this. Not one bit. And Amy? I could already see her heartbroken face. I don't like it when I have to do this to her. And I finally got used to not having to go away. Sonic, get a hold of yourself. It's a temporary thing, and you know that. Old Eggface will be a walk in the park. Save Shadow, lock up Eggman, DON'T DEAL WITH TITUS' B.S. AWARDS, ADORATION, OR POTENTIAL RE-RECRUITMENT, and you'll back home to push Desi and Mel on the swings, run with Coby, and kiss Amy before you head to sleep.

Maria, Rouge, and I walked into the kitchen where all the adults were silent. They all looked at us, as if they had heard that a friend had died. Amy's face was by far the worst. Did she know?

"Amy, I-."

"Have to leave to save Shadow?" she finished.

"How did-?"

"We could hear everything you three said. We can hear through the screen windows, y'know." Ah. Right. Well… that explains that.

"Ames, get the kids, would you? I need to talk to them." She nodded and went off into the living room to fetch them. Rouge went to her family, and Tails and Cream knew that it'd be best for us to deal with our families alone, so they said their good-bye's and left us for home.

"Sonic?" asked Amy from behind me. I turned around to see the four most important people in my life.

I got down on one knee and said, "Kids, could you come here for a second?" They stepped hesitantly forward, as if they knew that something bad was about to happen. "Cobalt, Desiree, Melanie, I need to tell you something. I have to leave for a few days." A flurry of "no's!" and "what's?!" came my way almost immediately. "Guys, clam down… please?" I asked softly. They stopped. "Kids, something bad has happened, and the world needs me again. It'll take me a few days to deal with this."

"Is it Eggman?" asked Mel. Smart as whip, that one.

"Yes, sweety, it is."

"Are you going to beat him, daddy?" asked Desi.

"When don't I?" I replied choking back a tear. Cobalt didn't say anything like his sisters did, but his sad face was enough to make any normal man break into tears. "Cobalt?" He looked up and gave me big hug, and I returned the favor.

"I'm coming with you."

"Not happening, buddy."

"But dad-."

"Cobalt, no 'buts'. You're too young for this kind of thing. If you, your sisters, or your mom come with me, you could get seriously hurt, and I can't have the most important people in my life getting seriously hurt. But son, I have a special job for you to do."

"Wha-What is it?"

"Since I'll be gone for a few days, you'll be the man-of-the-house. As the man-of-the-house, it'll be your job to keep the girls safe, alright? Can you do that for me, buddy?"

He let go of me and nodded his head. "You got it, dad," he said proudly.

"That's my boy." I turned my attention all three kids. "Kids? Daddy could use a hug right about now." They ran up to me and I opened my arms wider to get my three angels in my grasp, clinging to them as if I would never see them again. They returned my feelings as I heard them all sobbing. I sobbed too, but I was quieter than them. They let me go as I got up. They looked up to me, and their faces broke my heart. "Kids, I'll be back before you know it. That's a promise."

I looked towards the front door where Amy watched us. She too shed a tear as she saw the kids and me have a moment. I walked up to her with the same idea in mind. We didn't say anything at first. We traded glances, and that was enough to communicate our feelings about the recent events.

"Ames, I-."

"Go. Just go." Her words were like a knife in through my heart. I nodded and walked somberly to the door. I opened the door and saw Rouge hugging it out with Knuckles and Emma. The two were not going with her, for obvious reasons, and I thought the Prowers' had left already, but Tails and Cream were still there, probably waiting to drop off the Guardian and his daughter off at Angel Island in my brothers' Tornado-2, a blue and yellow biplane colored after Tails and myself.

I stopped on my porch and turned back to the door where Amy and my kids waited. I glanced up to my wife, who had folded arms and depressed face.

"Amy, I could use a hug and a kiss for good luck right about now." She let herself go and ran up to me, hugging me tightly as she sobbed bitterly. I clung onto with all my might. I had to stay strong for her. I had to be strong for her. I had to be strong for my family.

She planted her lips onto mine and I returned the favor and one-upped her on passion. The tears made it salty, symbolizing the bitter and sad situation that we were facing. My hands got a better grip on her to deepen the kiss, if only for a short time. We stopped to look at each other, and pain was evident in both of our eyes. As if my heart wasn't broken enough already…

"Come back in one piece, alright?" she asked.

"When don't I?" I retorted. She kissed me one last time and let me go. "Take care of the kids. I'll come back. I always do."

I turned around and walked down the patio stairs towards Rouge and Maria. Rouge had one of her G.U.N. planes all ready to go with her at the helm and Maria as a passenger. We would no doubt have to drop off Maria first before heading to meet with the Commander and Titus. I looked back one last time at my family, and I forced a cocky smirk to show on my face amid the tear stains, and I shot my family a thumbs-up, to which my son did the same as the girls waved good-bye.

"I love you guys. And don't worry! I'll be back soon!"

I couldn't hear my family's responses, but I could read Amy's lips. She said, "Be safe, my love."

XXXXXXX

The limousine halted to a stop in front of a home that I hadn't been in for the longest time. I never thought I would ever have to go through these gates, through these large doors, walk these same halls, smell the sweet odors from the kitchen, or say "Hello" to the pink-iris wonder that was named Hector, but everyone called "Hex". I never thought it'd ever happen all again.

He buzzed us through. The door opened, and Rouge and I could hear a serious conversation in the next room. Oh, boy… here we go. As was my attitude toward anything regarding him, I just wanted to get this over with A.S.A.P. I've got a life to live and a patriarchal position to refill.

My friend and I walked in slowly. There were two men were still arguing about the current situation plus a few secret servicemen. The conversation quickly subsided the second that we, the two 4'-6" anthropomorphic animals, walked in. We both put our best stern faces as we surveyed the Octagon Office. The two arguing men were the Commander himself, who hadn't changed much exact for a gentler and older face, and the snake, sorry, _man_ behind the big desk: Maximilian Titus, who had lost his brown hair, as it had been replaced with gray.

"Sonic, my boy!" he said too enthusiastically. Yep, I didn't miss being called that. "And Rouge! Thank you for coming." I didn't say a word. I folded my arms and tapped my foot, topped off with an annoyed face. "I take it that you heard about our Eggman problem?"

"Noooooo, I heard that you were holding a $4.95 all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet at the White House tonight, so I thought I'd drop by."

"Your sarcasm is noted, Sonic, but not needed given the situation."

"Then let's get this over with quickly. I have a family to return to… and so do Rouge and Shadow."

"Right then."

He nodded to one of his secret servicemen, who hit a switch, causing the room to turn dark and a projector to play on a one of the walls. A videotape began playing, and I saw several small Eggman logos scattered throughout the opening, cutting in and out quickly, slowly showing a sketchy sight. Once the image came into focus, to my horror, I saw Shadow in some sort of a high-tech stasis cell, pretty well beaten up. That was the sight for a few seconds, before the video began acting funny again.

It slowly came back into focus, and showed _him_ with his back to us and holding his hands behind his back. There was no mistaking that mustache of his, now graying as well, and still as large and visible as ever, even if he had his back to us.

"This is your agent, G.U.N.," said Eggman in a chilling voice. "You sent him to bring me in, and now look what has happened." The video cut to a scene of him being waterlogged over and over again, gasping for air. It cut away again to show Shadow getting the tar beaten out of him with blood flying from his mouth. "There is only one way you can get him back, so listen closely." He turned around, and for the first time in over a decade, I saw his face. It hadn't changed much except for a few wrinkles, and a wicked smile. "I want Sonic the Hedgehog. If you deliver him to me, I will set your agent free. I have unfinished business with the blue _rodent_ , and would like to conclude that business with him. You are free to send anyone with him too, just know that the more people you send with him, the more graves you will fill." The chilling video ended, and lights went back on. It took me a minute to readjust to the change in light.

"Well, I can see why you brought me in, sir."

"It is pretty obvious, isn't it?" the President replied.

"So when do I leave? Like I said, I have a family to get back to."

"Hold up, Sonic. You rushing into a situation you haven't been fully debriefed on would be a stupid idea. You're going in with some help."

"I can handle-."

"This is not up for discussion, Sonic!" remarked the Commander.

I sighed angrily. "Okay, I'll play along. Debrief me. Start with how he escaped, sir."

He nodded and gave Rouge a folder full of photos, who handed it to me. I quickly went through each photo, taking a good look at them all from the footage from the maximum security cell. When I was done, I knew how he'd gotten out.

"So nine days ago, Eggman was broken out by some of the guards in a maximum security prison?" The Commander and President nodded. "So there's been a breach of security inside your prisons, no?" They looked away, obviously embarrassed. "Wow. Good going." I began to slowly clap at them. "So what you're saying is that my mission will be to apprehend Dr. Eggman and bring down the people behind his "early release"? They nodded. "Alright, but with Eggman out there, and assuming he's out there gunning for me and holding Shadow hostage, why, after he practically gave himself up more than a decade ago, trap the one person he made swear to protect Maria? _His only family?_ THIS MAKES NO SENSE. EVEN IF HIS MAIN GOAL IS ME, WHY WOULD HE DO THAT TO SHADOW, and to an extent, HIS OWN FAMILY?"

"We aren't sure of that, Sonic. But when you bring him in, we'll find out why," said the President.

"Something about this whole ordeal smells fishy, if I may say so. I hope you're getting your house in order, guys."

"We are in the process of doing it now. There's still plenty to debrief you on."

"I have a better idea. Tell me on the plane to Shamar. It'll save time and patience for me."

"We've already tabbed you a partner for this mission, Sonic… and that's not a bad idea."

"I don't get to pick?" He nodded. So who was it? Wait, who's been Shadow's G.U.N. partner since day one? I looked sternly at Rouge. She chuckled and smiled back at me.

"Good guess," she replied. The Commander was given another casefile, probably the rest of the debriefing by the looks of it, and gave it Rouge.

"Rouge, let's go."

"Hold on, Sonic," said the President, sounding petty. "Everyone? I need a minute to speak with Sonic… _directly_." Delightful. The room quickly emptied and Rouge was the last one out, waiting for me to exit as soon as possible.

"So what's this about, sir? I have a madman to catch and a family to get back to." He stood up from his desk and put his arms behind his back, walking towards me. Sure, he had 1'-2" of height over me, but that didn't mean he was a bigger or better man.

"I just want to thank you for coming and doing this, Sonic."

"You don't have to thank me, sir. I've gotten quite used to cleaning up your messes," I jabbed. Instead of frowning, he smiled. Odd.

"Funny." Yeah, I'm a real riot. "I just wanted to say 'thanks'. That's all. It's not like I'm asking you to return permanently or anything."

"I know, considering that I made it a royal decree."

"I just wanted to thank you, Sonic. That's all."

I studied his face. Something wasn't right. "Bull. I can read you like a book, Titus. You still want me back. Don't deny it." For a minute, we stared each other down like we were professional Hold 'Em poker players. That is, until he finally blinked.

"Hmm. I must be getting too predictable for you." UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE FREAKING YEAR. "Yes, if you would-."

"I stand by what I said that night, Max. I'm not helping for _you_ , I'm helping out a friend, and it just so happens that Eggman is involved."

"Please-."

"This discussion is over. I will rescue your agent and I will bring in your escapee, but I will not stay a G.U.N. agent after that. And I mean it this time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a madman to catch." Before he could say an organized response, I was out the door, slamming it shut. Waiting for me was my partner. She shook her head, knowing what that argument was about.

"He's persistent. I'll give him that," she said smartly.

"The guy rubs me the wrong way more than poison ivy. Now c'mon, we have a nutcase to bring down."

As we walked out the building back to our waiting limousine, Rouge said, "You know that we'll have to dress the part. We'll be working at night, so darker attire will be needed."

"Ugh, great. _Clothing_."

"Blue, I know that you're not fond of the stuff, but you'll need to get over it." She reached into the casefile and gave me something I didn't want back. "Your credentials, Sonic."

I was hesitant to accept. "When we're done here, I won't give Titus the chance to force these on me again like he did the last time I came back for one last rodeo."

"I think he'd be stupid to do so. Besides, I have faith that if you didn't kick his rear for potentially getting back in, Amy would definitely do it for you."

I chuckled. "Yeah, she probably would. So it's get Shadow and capture Eggman along with those working for him, right?"

"That and find out who was behind Eggman's premature release."

"That too. So is there any other kind of clothing you're making me wear outside of the usual black cat-suit?"

"Come to think of it, yes." Wonderful. "The Commander wants us to take the chance and try out a new gadget the lab boys have been whipping up."

"What _kind_ of gadget?"

"It's a wrist-mounted bracelet that, when fired, shoots out two powerful cords that act as a sort of grappling hook.

As surprised as I was, this also meant one thing. "Bracelets? Great. If memory serves me right, the last time I had to wear some god-awful bracelets was around the first time that I met you and Shadow." I shook my head. "I hate wearing accessories."

"Look on the bright side; at least they'll match your outfit."

"WELL THANK GOD FOR THAT!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _I can't begin to tell you guys how irritating it is when i forget to put an "XXXXXXX" in to signify a short passage of time. It's not as irritating as the recent tech problems that this site has had the last few days, but still._

 _With this chapter, we really begin the meat of the story. This chapter starts the meat of the story. It's like the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl, the first pitch of the World Series, the Game 1 tip-off of the NBA Finals, and the waving green flag to start the Daytona 500... just on a much smaller scale._

 _I really don't much of an editorial for this part, so forgive me if this seems shorter than usual. The only thing that I have to say is that Max Titus is back and with this chapter, this was my least-favorite chapter to write because it has more dialogue than action (action referring to characters doing stuff._

 _So in terms of the next chapter upload, as I said in the last author's note/description, now that school's staring up for me, the uploads will now always be on Tuesday. Upload dates for the rest of the story are as such: Ch. 15 on 9/8, Ch. 16 on 9/15, Ch. 17 on 9/22, Ch. 18 on 9/29, Ch. 19 on 10/6, Ch. 20 on 10/13, Ch. 21 & 22 on 10/20, and Ch. 23 & 24 (24 being a 2-part chapter as well as the final chapter) on 10/27._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, the SonAmy kids, and the Knouge/Knuxouge (I still can't make heads or tails on the shipping's "official" terminology) daughter) are the property of SEGA._


	15. 15: Sonic Vs Eggman: Round 61

**Ch. 15: Sonic Vs. Eggman: Round 61**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

I went through the scenarios over and over in my head on the flight to Shamar.

Eggman.

Who would want to break him out? An old accomplice? No, he never had any that weren't either a god that turned on him or two people in specific. One of which was on the plane with me, and the other was who we were getting.

Why was Eggman holding the one person he made swear to keep his cousin, Maria, safe at all costs? Why would he endanger Shadow like that or betray the one person he went out of his way to revive? This wasn't making any sense. I could buy that Eggman would use a friend to get a crack at me, but the one man who was protecting his only family? Granted that Ol' Ivo could've used anybody else, but why Shadow? Whatever this was, it didn't smell right.

Speaking of people being off, what was with Titus? As always, he was too happy to see me, but there was something off about him, more than usual. His smile was rubbing me the wrong way. It never seemed like he stopped that devilish grin of his; like he completely expected me to say that I wanted no part in another comeback tour. His attitude about the whole thing made me all kinds of uncomfortable. Granted that he's done that before, but this time seemed different. He seemed more charismatic than I would want him to be. Or maybe I'm just thinking too hard about the whole situation.

I got up from my thinking session aboard a plane that resembled the same one I rode on my way back from Shamar the night I made my proposal. I hope my family's doing alright. What am I saying? Amy can handle herself easily… even with three energetic kids calling for her.

In the next room was Rouge, gussied up in a tight black jumpsuit, getting her weapons ready. I still won't deny that even after all this time that Rouge still had a fantastic body. Any guy who looked at her lustfully would never be able to guess that she birthed a child.

She looked up to me and tossed me my own jumpsuit, which I quickly put on. She tossed me the wrist-mounted grappling hooks, which I quickly tested by grabbing the two pistols that my partner would be using. Huh. They work.

"Give 'em back, Blue." I released the grip and tossed the empty .22 pistols back and she loaded them. She offered two more to me.

"Not my style. You know that."

She smirked. "I thought I'd ask anyway."

"We will be landing in a few minutes," said one of the pilots from the cockpit via a communicator. Speaking of which…

"Rouge," I said in my communicator. "Testing, testing, one, two, three."

"Copy. How about yours?"

"Good to go."

"Do ya have your small bombs? Your smoke screens? All of your equipment?"

"Yes, _mom_ , I do." Your sarcasm is noted, Rouge, but not needed.

We were told to buckle in for the landing which was all kinds of bumpy, knocking over a potted flower of the other end of the small room. The doors opened and we got out of the luxurious jetliner.

"So where are we headed, Rouge?"

"The complex where Egghead is stationed at is 25.7 miles due north by northwest of our current position."

"Alright then." I scooped her up in my arms and she put her arms around my neck. Well… this is uncomfortable.

"Don't act so shy, Blue," Rouge teased.

"It's just that I'm used to holding my wife more, Rouge. Now hold on." With a bend of the knees, I broke the sound barrier heading into the desert.

XXXXXXX

Skidding to a stop in the desert was a bad idea. I lost my balance in the grainy sand. In the process of falling, I accidentally tossed Rouge up into the air, but she landed just fine because she, unlike me, had wings, could glide in the air, and could land safely on the ground. I had a black jumpsuit with enough sand in it to enter the local beach's sand castle building contest and win it by a landslide.

"You okay?" Splendid.

"Gimme a minute." I slipped off my suit quickly and got out most of the sand, and slipped it back on. "Now I am." We walked slowly over the next dune and saw the magnificent structure. It fit the local architecture perfectly. I had to whistle at its sheer magnitude.

"This is the Palace of Shernar Husseil-Mala. For years, Husseil-Mala resided here and did his black market sales and international arms dealing in this very building."

"'Resided'? As in 'used to live here'? What happened to him?"

"A year-and-a-half ago, my superiors sent me in to take him down. The mission went off without too many problems."

"But there were a few, weren't there? What kind of problems did he cause?"

"As in he tried to cop a feel and I shattered his pelvis. He won't be walking at any time soon during his 310-year sentence."

"Jeez, he got off easy." She chuckled at the joke. "So do we know where Shadow is located?"

"No. My sources were numb on that info. However, since I've been here before, I know this place pretty well. So stick close to me, and we'll be just fine."

"Sounds good. But before we start, who's our first target? Egghead or Shadow?"

"Up to us. Personally, going after Shadow first would be ideal. It wouldn't hurt to have three heroes going up against ol' fat-face when we see him."

"And no doubt he'll have some big hunk-of-junk robot with him to boot."

We put on masks to completely make our bodies as black as the night. She picked me up off the sandy terrain and flew us silently over the secure walls and the gun-wielding guards at the site's entrances. She quietly landed us on a roof in the complex. "Can't stay in the air forever. There are…" She trailed off for some reason. She was looking closely at something, and then her eyes went every direction. "No guards on the roofs?"

"Were you expecting some?"

"Considering this is somebody as high-profile as Eggman, yes. Robotic guards at the very least."

"Rouge, keep in mind that Eggman has made some pretty big mistakes over the years."

"Touché." We landed on one of the taller rooftops and got a great view of most of the complex. From the outside, it looked like a modest complex, but from the inside, it looked big enough to house a small city of 10,000 people (give or take a few hundred).

"So… where should we start?"

"How about the big building in the center of this joint?" she asked, pointing to a large and tall building painted in turquoise.

"Sure. Let's go." Before I could go as much as three feet, my partner grabbed my arm and gave me a concerned look. "What's the big idea?"

"Sonic, it's just that something doesn't feel right. I mean no guards on any roof in this place? It seems too easy."

"You may be right, but it could also mean that this mission'll be a slam dunk. Let's get going."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. She grabbed me again and lifted us silently off and into the skies again. We kept an eye on the roofs, but there were still no signs of any security. Not even a camera. Maybe she was right…

From a distance, we could see through a big, open window. I pointed to it, and she acknowledged, flying us there, landing us quietly on a roof. We stepped quietly to it and peered in. There he was. After all this time. It's been nearly twelve years since our last encounter. Dr. Ivo Robotnik, or as everyone else knew him, Dr. Eggman. He faced a large screen, and an unknown shadowy someone was on it. The person behind his escape?

"I told you that I don't want to do this anymore!" yelled the doctor.

"Have you forgotten the terms of our agreement?" By the looks of it, this mysterious silhouette was a man, but his face was an unsolved riddle. Recognizing his voice was out of the question, as it was altered to hide his identity, because no one, not even Big the Cat or Storm the Albatross, can speak in that deep of a voice.

"No, Genesis."

Is that what this dude's name is? " _Genesis_ "?

"Have you forgotten who gave you your freedom?! Who gave you these assets?! Who has sent your most hated enemy to you?!"

"Sent us"?

"Rouge," I whispered, "Did he just say…?"

"Yeah."

"And do you know who this 'Genesis' person is?"

"There's nothing on record about this guy." The plot thickens…

"You have your orders, doctor! I have sent you the three people I need-." His yelling was stopped as a messenger boy came on to tell him something. I couldn't get an accurate read on the messenger either. "It appears that this conversation is no longer secure."

"Wha… What do you mean?" asked Eggman.

"My associate has just told me that my 'gifts' for you has arrived… and that they're on the rooftop, listening in on this conversation."

THIS IS BAD. THIS IS VERY BAD.

Rouge and I traded a scared glance and looked back to Eggman. He saw us.

"Get them!"

"Time to bail!" We got up quickly and began to run away, but we were blind-sided by a horde of gun-wielding guards. Officially cornered, we started to try to fight our way out, but Rouge was given a gun butt to the side of the jaw, knocking her down, but not out cold. I went to her side to pick her up, but-. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Taser. Shocks. Hurts. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Can't…. give… AHHHHHHHHH!

I was on the ground in the fetal position, unable to move my limbs because of the 50,000 volts of electricity surging through me. I remembered seeing _him_ above me before I passed out.

XXXXXXX

Ow… what happened? I got up onto my feet and tried to stand up, but my legs gave out. After trying a few times, I was finally able to stand upright. Now where was I? I took a few steps and bonked my head on what seemed like an invisible wall. I shook my head from the discombobulation and finally got my vision back. I was in a small room and a smaller cell. Surrounding me were thick panes of glass, but one of the walls was stylized like a regular prison cell with the bars, but was also made from glass.

Okay, I was a prisoner. I got that, now how did I get here?

I guided my right hand up my right hip and stopped at my waist. Upon looking at the wound, I saw two little holes in my jumpsuit. Right… I got a free electric sensation via a guard's Taser; that's where the shot entered my system. I must've passed out and was brought here.

Wait, if I'm here, then where's Rouge? My own question was answered immediately as I saw Rouge on a separate cot, still unconscious. I remembered seeing her get a gun butt to the jaw. I checked her head out. Yep, she'll feel that tomorrow. There was some swelling, but at least she was going to be okay. It wasn't something as vicious as a concussion, thank goodness.

Now… how to get out…

I heard a door go "ding" from behind me and I turned around. Coming out of an elevator door were two guards… and _him_. The guards stood at the door about 10'0" back as he walked up to the bars, standing face-to-face with me for the first time in over a decade. Outside of those new gray mustache hairs, he hadn't changed a bit. Not even a wrinkle graced his face.

"I never thought I would ever see you again, hedgehog," he said coldly.

"The feeling's mutual, Doc. So, Eggman, how've you been?"

"I've had better days, you blue snoop."

"What can I say? I like being a snoop around you. Now let us out."

"Not on your life, Sonic."

"Okay then… then answer a few questions for me. First, who broke you out?"

"I'm not going to dignify that with an answer."

"Was it Genesis? If so, why did he break you out? Is he pulling the strings?"

"Be quiet!" So testy…

"If you made Shadow promise to protect Maria, then why did you take him prisoner?"

"SHUT UP!"

"WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH WOULD YOU HOLD CAPTIVE THE FATHER OF YOUR COUSIN'S CHILD?"

He grabbed me through the bars with his right hand and held me up. "THAT'S ENOUGH, YOU CRETIN! I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH! NOW, SHUT UP!" The silence was maddening. We barred our teeth at each other; hatred plagued our eyes. He continued to hold me by my suit, causing it ride up more and more _down there_ the longer he held on.

What he did next was frightening. With his free hand, he took off his navy blue glasses to glare at me with his _blue eyes_. I HAVE NEVER, _EVER_ SEEN HIM WITHOUT HIS GLASSES. I feel like I should be taking a picture right now. What an unbelievably rare sight! What was even more off-putting was that he was staring me right in the eyes with a lot of intent.

"Let me tell you something, pincushion," he hissed. "I need to tell you something that only you need to hear, so read my lips… and read them carefully." He came in closer and got my ear right next to his mouth. And his left hand's pointer finger was in my face.

"I need your help," he whispered. HUH?! I felt my head turn, and my face was probably in disbelief. "I need your help, Sonic. Please." What are you talking about?!

"Got it?!" he yelled, dropping something down my suit and then me. I nodded, but only in complete confusion. "See you on the execution block, rodent."

He turned around and walked back to the elevator with the guards, getting in it. But before the door closed, he mouthed something else. "Elevator. Sixty seconds." With that, the door closed, and the three left Rouge and me.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! First, he has his goon squad taze Rouge and me, then he locks us up, and now he's saying he needs my help?! And what the hell did he slip down my jumpsuit?!

I reached down my one-piece and pulled out the two items he dropped down me garb. To my surprise, it was a small key and a small bag of some weird rocks that had a note that said, "For Rouge." I opened up the bag, and-. OH, GOD! Wait, smelling salts? For Rouge? Sixty seconds? Okay, this was making no sense whatsoever.

Okay, Sonic, you can figure this out. Let's start with the key. Now keys open locks. Wait… could this be the key for the… well, given the odd circumstances of the immediate past, it probably was. But why would Eggman give me the key to the cell? He did say he needed my help… but with what? Okay, what did he mean by "sixty seconds"? Maybe Rouge can help me decrypt the doctor. I grabbed the salts and put them to her nose, to which she shot up right away, scaring me and making me throw the rocks all over the cell.

"What?! Where am I?!"

"Calm down, Rouge. We're in a jail cell. We got a free 50,000 volts of electricity pumped through us. I woke up a few minutes ago. I woke you with smelling salts."

"Where did you get smelling salts?"

"Well, Eggman was just-."

"EGGMAN! Where is that walking pile of lard?!"

"Would you calm down and let me finish?!" She took a deep breath and gestured for me to continue. "Thank you. Eggman was just in here a few minutes ago. He slipped me some smelling salts to wake you up, and he gave me this." I whipped out the key for her to see.

"What's with the key?"

"My guess is that it's for the cell door. The walls are made out of thick glass. That's why we can see through the walls."

She looked around. "Huh. I didn't realize that. Wait, he _gave_ you the key?"

"Yep!"

"So he throws us in a cell, but gives us the key to open it?!"

"There's more, Rouge. When you were still out a minute ago, Eggman pulled my ear up to his mouth and said that he needed my help."

"Huh?"

"He said that he needed my help."

" _Your help?!_ With what?!"

"I don't know. He had a few guards with him, so he probably couldn't say what he wanted to say in front of them. And before he left, he mouthed, 'sixty seconds'."

"'Sixty seconds' until what?"

"I don't know that either, but I'm guessing that it may have something to do with the elevator or something. Look, I know it sounds crazy, but think about it. He was having an argument with that Genesis guy and look at what he's given us! He's given us a chance at escape!"

"But we can't trust Eggman! You know that better than anyone!"

"But Rouge, he took off his glasses and looked me in the eyes when he said that he needed my help."

"He what?!"

"Oh, this is taking forever! I'll get you up to speed later. First things first. We use the key to get out, we find Shadow, and we see what ol' Eggface wants with us."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Blue."

"We don't exactly have a lot of options, do we?"

She sighed and looked away. "No, we don't."

"Okay, so follow my lead. When we unlock the door, I'm thinking that we'll have sixty seconds until we get a welcoming party down here. You ready for some action?"

She cracked her husband's namesake. "Please, I want _payback_."

"Then let's get started."

I unlocked the door and a siren sounded. Sixty seconds starting now, probably from the moment we opened the door. There must've been some sort of alarm linked to the door.

What next? We looked up and saw some rafters and both had the same idea. She flew up to them and hung upside down, I jumped up and sat another, waiting. The elevator began counting down. Four… three… two… one… and "B" for basement. Sixty seconds right on the tick. Showtime.

The doors opened and four armed guards stormed in, looking around for us. They were perplexed for sure. They must've heard that we had flown the coop, but had no idea where we were.

Rouge gave the signal. Time to go to work. "NOW!" Before they knew what had hit them we jumped down on two of them and began attacking. She used her wrist-mounted grapples to pull the other guards' weapons off of them and I went for a pair of homing attacks, sending them into the open cell. She punched the other guards in the skulls to knock them out. She pulled off two of their pistols and strapped them to her suit. She offered one to me.

"Like I said, not my style." I handed her the key and slammed the door cell door behind me.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Getting some answers." I turned my attention to the two conscious guards. "Now… who wants to tell me where Shadow is located?"

"And what if we say nothing?"

"Well…" I stopped to concentrate, focusing my emotions. And… got it. I went full Dark. My fur was pitch black, my eyes whiter than snow, and my grin devilish. Their faces turned pale at the sight of me turning into the monster. Hehehe…

"Now," I started in a hellish tone, "who wants to tell me where Shadow is?" They looked scared. Hehehe… I'm liking this more than I should. "TELL ME NOW!"

"Okay, alright! Don't hurt us!"

"I WON'T IF YOU TELL ME!"

"He's in the main building! Bottom floor!" Finally!

I powered down, returning to me royal blue self. "Thank you. Now you can enjoy a nice nap!" Before they could respond, I took their heads and crashed them into each other, concussing them. I took their communicators out of their ears and wiped off the wax. Yuck! After which I tossed one to Rouge.

"Now we can listen in on their conversations if we need to. We good?"

"Very," she said as she let me out. She threw the other two unconscious bodies into the cell with their friends and slammed it shut, giving me the key. We rode the elevator up to the top floor and got out slowly, making sure we were clear.

"So do we rush the main building?"

"Yep. Now hold on." We rode the elevator back up until we hit the ground floor. I picked her up and blasted out of the building before any guards could get the jump on us. There was no need to be subtle anymore. The secret was no doubt out by now that we were out on early parole, the irony being that Eggman was the reason we were running free. What was his game anyway? He turned from all kinds of diabolical to "help me" in no time at all. And who was this "Genesis" character?

We had to avoid all kinds of heavy fire as we raced to the main building, and were greeted with a dozen members of a trigger-happy welcoming committee. Rouge took the lead and used Thunder Shoot to propel me quickly towards our shooters. After a quick transition to my Homing Attack, the twelve were down and we pressed on.

"Basement level, right?" she asked.

"Yep. Just keep moving!"

We dashed to the stairs, going down them as quickly as possible. For Rouge, it was a simple matter of turning left constantly in a downward spiral. For me, it was grinding on the hand-railings, never falling off like an idiot once. We had reached the bottom floor where we stopped for just a minute to catch our breath.

"We'll probably have some serious security through these doors next. You ready?"

She cocked her pistol. "Born ready."

I nodded and revved up a Spin Dash. She opened the doors for me, and it was too perfect. Ten little guardsmen were unable to react in time, and they all went down for a strike, as evident by my throwing up an "X" with my arms and yelling triumphantly. My colleague rolled her eyes at my added flair and used a keycard from one of the guards to gain access to a large and desolate room. On the far wall, we saw him in the same stasis cell from Eggman's "invitation" at the Octagon Office.

"Is he still alive?" I asked.

"Let me check the computers." She went to technological module to the right of the cell and began pushing some buttons. By the looks of it, she had done this before.

"You seem to be cracking along just fine. Have you done this before?"

"Years ago, I was looking for Eggman's 'secret treasure' in one of his bases. In that small room, I found E-123 Omega, but also an amnesia-stricken Shadow in a stasis cell just like this one. That was just before the time we took on Metal Sonic when he took over the doc's fleet and army… and yes, Shadow's alive. According to the scanners, he has a few nicks and cuts, but it looks like he's alright. There! Oh, come on!"

"What is it?"

"It needs a four-digit pass code."

"And we don't have it. _Wonderful_."

"Lose the lip, Big Blue."

"So… what? We have how many possible choices?"

" _10,000_ , and I'm willing to guess that the doc's the only one who knows the code. Looks like we'll have to find the doctor and force him to tell us."

"I have a better idea." I walked up to the computer and saw the ten-digit number pad. With my right hand, I began moving my fingers around the pad at blazing speeds.

"What are you doing?"

"Well you said that there are 10,000 possible codes, so I'm trying 'em all starting with 0-0-0-0 and going on up." Finally, I hit pay-dirt. "Bingo!" The liquid in the cell was beginning to drain.

"You got it?"

"Yeah. '2-0-0-1'." As I stopped talking, the cell opened up and Shadow woke up, but was very groggy, even falling out of the pod, but Rouge and I caught him. "Easy, Shadow. Take it easy."

"Where… Where am I?" he asked. "Wait… faker?"

"Nice to see you too, sunshine," I quipped back.

"Knock it off, Blue," said Rouge.

"Why are both of you here?"

"To rescue you from Eggman," I replied. "DUH."

"Eggman? EGGMAN?!"

"Easy, Shadow!"

"WHERE IS HE?!"

"We'll get to him in a minute!" said Rouge. "We're going after him next, and we're bringing him in for questioning!"

"And we're gonna need your help to bring him down," I added. "Before we go, how did you get captured?"

He groaned, probably because he'd have to relive his failure. "I was silently infiltrating his base, when I saw something out of the corner of my eye in one of the buildings here; something bright and multi-colored. I backed up and went into the room, and to my shock, I found the seven Chaos Emeralds."

"WHAT?!" yelled Rouge. "HOW DID HE GET THEM?!"

"I don't know, okay, Rogue?!"

"Whoa! Timeout! Okay, he has the Emeralds, what's the big deal?"

"The 'big deal', faker?! The 'deal' is that the Chaos Emeralds were put into G.U.N. storage months ago!"

"Shadow and I put them into storage at G.U.N. HQ ourselves, and when last checked, they were still in inventory," added Rouge.

"Okay, okay. So we're at a disadvantage. We've dealt with a lot worse. It'll just be a matter of getting them back. We'll need Eggman to get 'em. Speaking of Eggface-." I was cut off as a small troop of soldiers ran in and took aim. "This conversation will have to wait."

"Ya think, faker? Now let's get out here!" I took Rouge and we raced out of the room, both Shadow and me breaking the sound barrier and probably sending those gunmen to the hind ends from the high wind speeds we caused. We didn't stick around to find out.

We were out on the streets and ran like hell, furiously trying to find Eggman amid the hustle and bustle of the complex. But then out of the corner of my eye, I saw him in flying in the air to the right in his Eggmobile. "I've got him! Follow me!" I skidded to a stop, as did Shadow, and I took on large leap onto an awning on the side of a building and took to the skies, landing on a roof. Shadow was able to do so too, and we raced on the rooftops in hot pursuit.

He stopped and turned around, smiling at us evilly. We were running out of rooftops, and we leaped off the last one and landed safely in a large rectangular courtyard at the complex's borders as Eggman dashed away quickly, but put his loud mouth on the P.A. system.

"Stop right there, vermin, and look around at the tops of the walls!" We did, and my heart sank. There were several armed guards with their weapons pointed right at us. We heard a loud WHOOSH and some loud mechanical whirring from outside the courtyard in the desert. We saw something large and come out from behind the walls and land loudly. It certainly looked familiar to me what Eggman was controlling.

"Recognize this, Sonic?" he asked. I sure did. "Years ago, you destroyed my first edition of this wonderful creation of mine! And now I have built another, but this time, it is much stronger! No one can stop me now! Not you or your little friends! Behold, THE ULTRA-HYPER PROTOTYPE- _2_!"

It was all here. The drill for an arm and an odd right arm with six "fingers", and it probably spat ice and bullets like the old one too. "And for my modifications, there is no green "hit-me" light in the center! And the best part?" He hit a switch and revealed some pretty important pieces of jewelry. "It is powered by the Chaos Emeralds!" This fight just got a bit more difficult.

"Sonic," said Rouge uneasily, "we need a plan!"

"I have _one_ ," I whispered. "How good it is is yet to be determined."

My sight went back to Eggman, who looked down at all of us. "It's over, Sonic. Give up."

"Not happening, Eggface."

"Then it all ends here… FOR ALL OF YOU!"

"AND LET THE ONE PERSON YOU SWORE TO PROTECT MARIA DIE AT YOUR HAND?!" Keep him talking, Shadow. We need the distraction.

"Rouge," I said quietly. "Get your smoke bombs ready."

"Got it."

"I am truly sorry, Shadow, but I have my orders," said Eggman.

"You obese-!"

"Silence! Take it like a man! And Sonic?" I looked up to him… and he winked at me. What is he thinking? "See you in hell!"

"ROUGE, NOW!" She threw the smoke bombs down on the ground, making a big smoke screen, and I ran around in a small circle to spread it. The gunfire came out quickly, and I grabbed my partners and zipped away from the fight and found some cover in a nearby building.

"You got a plan, Sonic?" asked Rouge.

"Yeah. We have to take out the gunmen on top first. Shadow, that's where we going. Rouge, you have some bombs in that suit, right?"

She pulled some small, but very powerful little plastic explosives from her suit pocket. "Got 'em." I gave her my own bombs.

"Rouge, use the smoke screen to get in close on that robot, and use the explosives on it. Go for the Emeralds! All we need is one! Toss it to me or Shadow, when we're done up top, and we can use its powers to get the rest out and turn the tables!"

"Chaos Spears, faker?"

"Well, any kind of Chaos power you can think of… but yes, Shadow. Alright, team, let's go!"

We went our ways as Shadow and I made it to the top of the walls and took out two of the gunmen, pulling them down and having them fall onto a hardened clay of a building roof below. We blasted in between the other gunmen and disarmed them. We met up with loads of guns in our grasp, and we tossed them over the edge into the nearby desert. A few close goons rushed us, but we were able to fight out of a pile of them and run to the other side of the walls. They gave chase, running on the walkways of the walls.

"Hey Shadow, remember the 'Rev 'n' Rock'?" He looked at me, smiling as he did it.

"Just like old times?"

"You know it!" We revved up our Spin Dashes in separate directions and waited. "Hold it… hold it…" Amid the spins, I could see the guards getting closer and closer. Got 'em.

"Fire!" yelled Eggman as the bullets began to whiz by us.

"NOW, SHADOW!" We let loose our rolled-up bodies and began the carnage, bowling over guard after guard, knocking them flat on their rear, or flat on their face. We got through all the guards and began running along the walkway. When it came time to meet each other midway, we high-fived each other and began to start our "rocking" portion. But as I sped to the downed guards, Eggman shot at us, but something was off. He was shooting high of us. He winked at me mid-run. HE WAS MISSING US ON PURPOSE! Alright, Sonic. Commence rocking.

I jumped and rolled up into a ball, as did Shadow on the other end. We began to spam our Homing Attacks on the skulls of every guard we saw, knocking them out with a blast of survivable head trauma due to the force of our head-bopping. We did in quick succession, getting done with it. Two 4'-6" hedgehogs just owned about ninety-some guards in about eight seconds.

We looked down to see Eggman with an angry face. We got down for cover as Egghead shot at us and Shadow said, "What's taking Rouge so long?!"

"Wait for it…"

We poked our heads above and saw Rouge near the emeralds, priming the explosives near two emeralds. The blue and red ones. She glided away to cover and pulled out a trigger.

"Try this on for size, Egghead!" She hit the trigger and a loud and powerful explosion happened right at the robot's abdomen. As if on cue, two emeralds were up in the air. Shadow and I took leaps of faith and caught them. He fittingly had the red one, I had the blue. When the smoke settled, Eggman still stood in his second Egg Dragoon.

"Oh, Eggman!" I taunted, "Look what we got!" I said as we showed him the emeralds. His face turned from angry to afraid at the drop of a hat.

"Give them back!" he pleaded.

"Not a chance!"

Shadow and I used the Emeralds' power to charge up our attacks. With a yell of "CHAOS SPEAR!" from both of us, we placed them right in the holes that they one occupied, and a small explosion occurred, knocking the purple and yellow ones out of place. Rouge was swift in her flying, catching them, and used some of the power herself to help us.

We each created another spear and let them loose again, and in the best place too. We threw them right at the holes again, and another small explosion happened, knocking the cyan, green, and white emeralds out. All seven were now out of the robot, and we each caught one of those newly-freed three. Rouge had the yellow, purple, and white ones, Shadow had the red and cyan ones, and I had the blue and green ones. The robot still stood, but not for long.

Another platoon of men came rushing in to aid Eggman. It's time to end this.

"Guys, give me the emeralds!" They obliged, tossing me the rest, which I caught separately, holding them all in my arms. But I was caught and in the grip of the second Dragoon, and lifted to Eggman's eye level while Shadow and Rouge dealt with the masses.

"Just because you've freed them all, it doesn't mean you've won!"

"You're wrong! I just clinched the 'W'!" I focused my power and the emeralds warped beside me. Egghead was probably having a sense of déjà vu from just before he turned me into the Werehog. The gems spun around, getting faster and faster, and then it happened. A positive energy coursed through my veins, my skin turned a shiny gold, and my eyes turned red. Super Sonic's back, baby!

I quickly broke the grasp and went toward my partners, burning through their attackers, knocking them around vigorously into buildings, or throwing them over the walls into the overs-sized litter box outside. With the masses depleted, it was time to end this.

"I'm going for your jugular, Eggman!" Before he could speak, I dashed toward his mech's right shoulder, severing its arm. I did the same with his left one, and its left leg, and its right leg, and through its abdomen, leaving only Eggman in a pod with no robot to control. I got back down to the ground and released the gems from my body, dropping them at my feet. My team and I quickly scooped them up and put them in safe places.

"It's over, Eggman!" I said proudly. "Give yourself up!"

He was able to eject his Eggmobile from the remaining scrap metal. Before we knew it, one final wave of enemies came into the massive courtyard and charged us. "It seems you have a few more men to deal with! I'll be back for you three later!" he yelled as his Eggmobile began to ride away into the desert.

"Can you guys handle this while I get Eggman?"

"Do you even need to ask?" queried Shadow. "Go!"

I nodded and leaped to the upper walkways amid the heaps of unconscious bodies and saw the fleeing doctor. "Get back here!" I yelled as I took one big jump off the edge and shot my wrist-mounted grapples onto the getaway vehicle. They latched on and I quickly grappled in, hanging above the ground for a bit until I was able to land on its top, right in front of his face.

"Land this ship!" His face was stoic, but he did as he was told, setting the machine down softly onto the sands of the desert. He then turned it off. I jumped off of it and he got out and stood in front of me, staring at me with his hands behind his back, smiling as he did it.

"You took longer than I thought to find me."

I returned the smirk. "Yeah, well, there was matter of freeing Shadow from his cell first. That took a bit longer than expected." I reached into my jumpsuit's pocket and pulled out the same key he gave me. "Your calling card," I said as I offered it to him. He plucked it out of my hands. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Now let's get down to business, doc. First, you give me the key to get out of that cell, then you intentionally miss high when you shot at Shadow and me, and now you're giving yourself up. And to top it all off, you said that you needed my help. Start explaining, doc."

"I had to keep my image up in front of the guards and my 'rescuer'."

"The man on the big screen. Genesis."

"Yes. I had to keep the act up so that I would cooperate."

"Before I ask what you mean by that, why did you say that all three of us needed to die at your hand? And why kill the one person you made swear to keep your only living family safe?"

"Those were my orders, Sonic."

"So I've gathered. Genesis said that in the conversation you had with him. Now, why did you need to cooperate?"

"That's my reason for throwing my attempt at killing you three. I can't believe I have to say this, but I desperately need your help."

"Why?"

"To put it into terms that you, a rodent, will understand-." Eggman was cut off by Shadow's fist drilling him in the side of the skull, sending him down to the ground.

"YOU BETRAYED ME! YOU BETRAYED MARIA!"

"Shadow, listen! I can explain!"

"TRAITOR!" he yelled as he kicked him in the face. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR DOING THIS TO ME! YOU MADE ME PROMISE! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!" He kicked him again and began strangling him.

Rouge and I began to pry Shadow's hands off of the doc's throat, but it proved to be difficult.

"Shadow! Calm down!" I yelled. "He's beaten!"

"NOT UNTIL I GET MY REVENGE!"

"SHADOW, THAT'S ENOUGH!"

"NO, IT ISN'T, FAKER!"

"WHAT WOULD MARIA SAY?!" That statement alone loosened his grip and we were able to get his hands off of him, and I threw him aside, looking at him with contempt. "Why did you do that?! I was about to get information out of him!"

"He tortured me and went back on our agreement!"

"I know, Shadow, but he was forced to do it!"

"What?"

"You heard me right! Someone put him up to this; put him up to kill all three of us. He's a puppet. And whoever this Genesis guy is, he's the one pulling his strings!" He looked at me puzzled. I doubt he knew about Genesis.

I turned to Rouge, who was tending to the doctor. "How's he doing?"

"He's unconscious, but alive. He won't be waking up for a few hours."

" _Great_. Now it'll be a while before we can get anything out of him!" I began rubbing my temples in frustration. "Alright then. We'll have to question him on the plane-ride home then or when we get back home. So which direction do were need to go, Rouge? South by southeast?"

"Yeah, Blue."

"Okay. I'll carry the doc to the plane. Shadow, you carry Rouge. And Rouge, tell our flyboys that we're on our way back. And give me a minute with Shadow. I need to have a word with him."

"You got it."

I turned back to Shadow, who was cross-armed and looking up at the sky. I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he admitted. I didn't say a word. "What? No gloating? No telling me that I'm weak for saying 'sorry'?"

"As much as I would like to call you out on your overly-critical and sometimes overly-masculine nature, Shadow, I'm not going to. I believe what you did to him was justified, but you chose the wrong time for it."

"Don't remind me _or_ lecture me, faker."

"But I will call you out on something that was uncalled for. I was about to get some information out of him as to why he did what he did. Now that'll have to wait until he wakes up, and who knows when that'll be?!"

"I said that I was sorry! You don't need to rub it in!"

"Shadow, if you could stop being an antagonist prick for just one minute and move on from what's just happened, that'd be just peachy!" He glared at me and I returned it. For a few moments, it was a tense stare-down. "Whatever just happened is over. Done. Now will you stop pouting and get over it?! You always criticize me for being immature, and now I'm saying you need to act a little mature. Can you do that?"

After another second or two of staring each other down, he bowed his head. "Fine. You're right."

"I know," I said flatly. "If it were me in your position right now, I know that the circumstances would completely different. You'd be saying something dark and wise-."

"Faker, I get it. Now will drop it?!" he hissed.

"Alright, I will. Now Shadow, there's else something going on here. Whoever this Genesis guy is, he wanted all of us dead for a reason, and the doc probably could've given us a reason why. Now we'll just have to sit and wait for him to wake up."

"Obviously," Shadow said flatly. I rolled my eyes at his tone.

"Are we ready?" asked Rouge.

"That depends," I started, "Are they expecting us?"

"The Commander is sending over some squads to clean up the palace as we speak."

"And the pilots know we're on our way back?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Let's go home."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Ah… all is right with the world. is back on and not the hellish nightmare it was last week. Ahhhhhh._

 _Alright, relaxing time is over._

 _Eggman sprung from prison, Eggman springing Sonic from a cell, Eggman needing Sonic's help, and this "Genesis" and how he supposedly gave Sonic and Rouge up to the doctor. So that begs the question: who the hell is this guy?! His identity will be revealed in a few chapters, and you're welcome to guess and speculate his identity, but please don't come asking me via or DeviantArt for the sake of potentially ruining the story for you and/or others. Besides, we still have 9 chapters to go, and this story's gonna use all of them. Until then, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the last few chapters._

 _The schedule for the rest of the chapters being uploaded will follow this outline unless noted otherwise. Ch. 16 on 9/15, Ch. 17 on 9/22, Ch. 18 on 9/29, Ch. 19 on 10/6, Ch. 20 on 10/13, Ch. 21 & 22 on 10/20, and Ch. 23 & 24 (24 being a 2-part chapter on the DeviantArt version and serves as the final chapter) on 10/27._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA._

 _Oh, and I didn't pull a number straight out of my sphincter (or Compton for that matter). That was my old HS football number. #61._


	16. 16: From Bad to Worse

**Ch. 16: From Bad to Worse**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

We finally arrived back at the airport. It was impossible not to see us coming. Two hedgehogs running at supersonic speeds carrying two other people while kicking up enough sand to create our own sandstorm would be pretty obvious in any aspect. Shadow let Rouge go, who notified the pilots of our arrival, and they opened the jetliner doors, allowing us entrance. I still had Eggman in my arms, as creepy as it was, and as hard to carry the large man up the plane's stairs as it was. He was still unconscious. Not even my blazing speed was enough to awake the big baby. Carrying him into the luxurious jetliner, I set him down on the floor near a pole and Shadow made sure he wasn't anywhere with some handcuffs that Rouge had given him once they were on board, cuffing him to the pole. God, that was exhausting. Come to think of it, why didn't we just Chaos Control ourselves to the plane? Ugh, that was dumb. Oh, well. It's in the past. Can't do a thing about it now.

Shadow went straight to the minibar to fix up a vodka martini for Rouge, and a boilermaker for himself. "You want a drink, faker?"

"Sure," I said groggily as I sat down at the bar. "Whiskey and cola." He quickly made it for me and slid it down the bar.

"Ah, I needed that," he said after he took a sip from his own cocktail. I downed my drink in one hit, to which I groaned. "Need another?"

"No. I'm exhausted enough. How are you feeling?"

He laughingly scoffed. "Like a free man." He quickly went back to work on Rouge's 007-drink.

"What? No 'Thanks for saving me, Sonic?'."

"I made you a drink. Isn't that enough for you?"

"I was expecting more."

"Remember that it's _me_ , faker." I looked at him sternly, making the silence eerie and tense. We stared each other down, waiting for one of us to blink. I'm not going anywhere until you say it. "Fine!" He faked a smile and said as he gritted his teeth, " _Thank you_."

I smiled back at him. "No problem."

I began walking away. "Where are you going?"

"Bed. Now, be quiet."

"You can't possibly be tired."

"You try carrying Eggman for almost twenty-six miles straight and up a flight of stairs!" Before he could retort, I shut the door and flipped the lights off. So… tired. I looked at the bed and flopped down onto it suddenly. I didn't care if I had my jumpsuit still on, or even if I was greasy, sweaty, and dirty from the sand I kicked up. The bed looked comfortable, I had a long day, I hadn't slept on the fight here in the first place; I needed to rest. The Taser-induced nap didn't qualify because that hurt like hell to induce unconsciousness. I needed sleep that had a pillow and a soft mattress… and was this… bed ever… *YAWN* comfortable…! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

XXXXXXX

"Wake up." Huh? Wha? Mommy, is that you? "Faker, get your butt out of bed." DEFINITELY not mommy. I fluttered my eyes open to see the only person who called me 'Faker'. "Now get out of bed. Rouge is making breakfast for us. It'll be done in a few minutes."

"Well, I can't say 'no' to a woman cooking for me, now can I?"

"Just get out of-."

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me take a shower first." He left without saying so much as a syllable. I went into the small restroom and showered off. There really wasn't anything like taking a warm shower to clear your head and clean up a filthy body. Normally, a guy would embrace being messy, as if to feel accomplished. Lord knows I did considering the wacky adventuring I did, but being in a house with three women tends to change your outlook on that kind of thing.

I dried myself off and went into the small room and saw Shadow on a couch with a plate of eggs with some toast. Eggman was still hand-cuffed and apparently still out of it.

"Has Egghead said anything yet?" I asked.

"No," said Shadow. "I kept an eye on him throughout the night. Not so much as a dreary moan."

"Well, we'll need some answers out of him sooner or later. I guess we can still let him sleep in peace."

"Big Blue, how do you want your eggs?"

"Surprise me, Rouge." I turned back to Shadow. "I'm surprised there's food on here. I just thought there'd be liquor for refreshments."

"Maybe they figured I needed a full meal after I was freed," Shadow quipped.

"Attention, everyone," began the pilot, "We are entering domestic airspace now. The current time here is 7:32 PM." That meant we were approaching the western half of the continent, and that back home it was 11:32 PM.

"Hey, Shadow, how long was I asleep?"

"Somewhere between six-and-a-half to seven hours. Why? Are you on some weird sleeping pattern or something?"

"No, I was just curious."

"Here, you go, Blue."

"Thanks, Rouge." Scrambled eggs. And with salt and pepper to boot! "What, no fork?"

"Catch!" She tossed one to me, and I caught it without even looking. It didn't take me long to woof it down.

"So," Shadow started, "are you two done feeding your faces yet?"

"I am, what about you, Rouge?"

"Yep."

"Good. Now let's talk."

"What about?" I asked casually as I sat down.

"Let's start with why you saved me."

"Why wouldn't I have saved a friend?"

"Because if Rouge is here, then it was G.U.N.-sanctioned. I would've thought that you, faker, would never work for the government again… that is the United Federation's government," he said taking into account that I really had no choice in the planetary government with me being a prince.

"The only reason I'm here is because of Maria and Rouge."

"How is she doing?"

"Maria? She was healthy and still with child when I saw her… when was it now? Two days ago? Anyway, she and Rouge were told by G.U.N. that you were in trouble and that Eggman was involved, so they convinced me to return for a one-night-only comeback tour… er… _Two_ nights, if I must be specific."

"I assume that you had to talk to Titus and the Commander?"

"Yeah, I did. Didn't feel too keen on seeing ol' Max again, but whatever. Did they send you on this assignment?"

"Yes. They personally debriefed me and sent me on my way. I'm not surprised that the President was told about Eggman's escape. It was surprising to say the least that he was broken out of prison… by a third party, no less."

"Yeah, they and Rouge debriefed me on the whole situation. Titus himself seemed a bit… off. He was smiling too much for my tastes when he talked to me personally."

"Maybe it was just because he was happy to see you," Shadow teased.

"After what I said to him all those years ago? Ha! I'm surprised he had the nerve to call me in, even if it was to go and get you! But anyway, Titus and the Commander paired me up with Rouge and sent us to Shamar. I wasn't too keen on leaving Amy or the kids, but you did need my help."

"How is Rose?"

"Amy's doing alright. She was heart-broken that I had to leave her… on her birthday… again… because of a stinkin' G.U.N. assignment... AGAIN."

"And your offspring?"

"They're doing just fine. They weren't happy to see me go either. That reminds me, I should probably call them. Y'know… to see if the house is still standing."

I went back into the bedroom and went through my gear and pulled out my cellphone. As I turned it on, I walked slowly toward the windows of the plane and saw the beautiful sunset that the west coast was getting. The first sight on my phone was a two-day old voicemail from Amy.

"Huh. I wonder what she needed," I thought out loud. "Hope nothin' bad happened." My attention went back to the scarlet sunset and the continent in the short distance closing in.

Wow. What a sunset! Huh, we seem to be riding a bit low to the ocean. We should still be up in the clouds given that we still have _three hours_ of flying, give or take, until we land. Hold on… are we getting… closer to the ground?

I felt a spell of turbulence as something went "CLANG". I got as close as I could to the window and tried to see if something happened. Wait… is the plane's passenger door open? What came next surprised me. I saw two men in weird suits jump out of the plane, and then pull some parachutes. Wait… two men, two pil-.

UH-OH.

I put my phone in between my quills and ran out the door, surprising everyone.

"Where's the fire, Sonic?" asked Rouge. I went through the far door and ran into a smaller hallway, opening the next door into the cockpit.

The room was empty, the pilots were gone (probably flying to heaven-knows-where), and the door was somehow shut again. WE'RE IN TROUBLE. WE ARE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. I tried to work the controls, but to no luck, the icing on the cake being that my suspicions about our questionable altitude rang true.

"SHADOW! ROUGE! COCKPIT, NOW!" My screaming brought them running through the door. "NOTICE ANYTHING MISSING?!"

"Yeah," started Rouge, "where are the pilots?!"

"I saw them jump out of the plane and parachute away and this big rig is losing altitude!"

"Huh?! What are you talking about?"

"No time to explain! All I know is that that we're down two pilots and losing altitude!"

"Let me try to fly this thing!" Good luck, batgirl. She took a seat and began to mess with the controls, but she was trying the same buttons again and again, slamming them in a fit of rage. "I CAN'T GET CONTROL OF THIS THING!"

"So what are you saying?" asked Shadow.

"It means that the controls are jammed!"

"WARNING! AIRCRAFT IS NOW UNDER 1 MILE OF ALTITUDE," blared the automated P.A.

"Can we get any contact with G.U.N.?" I asked.

"I can try!" She grabbed a headset and screamed, "COMMAND, THIS IS AGENT ROUGE! COME IN!" She stopped and focused her hearing. "COMMAND, I REPEAT, THIS IS AGENT ROUGE! THE CONTROLS ON THIS PLANE ARE JAMMED AND WE ARE LOSING ALTITUDE! PLEASE, COME IN!" Still nothing! Oh, no… "CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!" In another fit, she grabbed the headset and threw it against the floor, shattering it.

"So we're losing altitude, _and_ they can't hear us?! Wonderful! What's next?!"

"Sonic, get the parachutes, Shadow, get the door."

"On it!" we both said. I was in and out in less than a minute with four chutes in my arms.

"COME ON! OPEN! OPEEEEEEN! OPEN, YOU STUPID DOOR!" Shadow pulled and pulled, but flew off it. He even Homing-Attacked it and did the Spin Dash, but to no avail. "IT WON'T OPEN! WE'RE LOCKED IN HERE!"

"WARNING! ALTITUDE AT 1,000 FEET!"

"We need to get out now!"

"Ya think, Rouge?!" barked Shadow.

"Does anyone have a plan?!"

My head went everywhere, trying to think of an idea. I saw the upcoming continent. It had a beach that we'd be passing by… and the plane would miss it! That's it!

"Guys, follow me!" I ran out of the room with them in tow. "Shadow, break Eggman free!"

"What?!"

"Just do it!" He yelled and in a swift motion, broke the cuffs on Eggman, still unconscious.

"What was the point of that, faker?!"

"Pull out the Chaos Emeralds!" I ordered. They pulled them out. "Now interlock arms!"

"What are-?"

"I don't have time to explain! Do it!" I pulled out my three emeralds, and Shadow and Rouge pulled out two each. We interlocked arms, Rouge and Shadow, Shadow and Eggman, Eggman and me, and me and Rouge.

"WARNING! ALTITUDE AT 200 FEET!"

"Sonic, whatever you're doing, DO IT NOW!"

"Alright!" I concentrated my thoughts on the beach and… "CHAOS CONTROL!"

In a flash, we were gone. When the bright light of the Control subsided, we found ourselves hovering above the very beach I saw from the cockpit. Our hovering ended, and we fell a small distance, but it was still enough to somehow have Eggface land on me, butt-first, and on my head. I quickly rolled him off of me and looked to see a jetliner lose every last bit of altitude and crash into the ocean, almost destroying it on contact. Pieces rolled over on the water, and the former jetliner blew up in a fiery explosion, sending debris into the ocean, before formally sinking to its watery grave. All of us stood in absolute shock at the events.

I let out a huge sigh of relief and said, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah," they said simultaneously.

"What about you?" asked Rouge.

"Well, considering we all survived a plane crash, witnessed said plane crash, and then I got sat on by Eggman, I guess I'm hanging in there."

"How'd you know the pilots were gone, faker?"

"Before I was about to listen a voicemail from Amy, I looked out the window and saw the pilots in some weird suits and they opened their 'chutes!" I groaned in frustration, turning away for a moment. A question arose. "Why did we have to bail out of there in the first place? First the pilots fly away like scared pigeons, then we find the controls jammed, then the doors were locked shut, and then it comes down to us using Chaos Control to bail out a jetliner that was set to crash!"

"We don't know that it was set to crash, Sonic," reasoned Rouge.

"Oh, yeah? Then why did the pilots leave in the first place? Why were the controls jammed? Face it! They tried to _kill_ us!" I sighed angrily, burying my face into my right hand. "Something doesn't smell right. Why try to kill us on a jet? Better yet, why kill us at all?! I doubt that G.U.N. would have anything to do with it!"

"You're right in saying that something's wrong, faker, but there's no need to jump to conclusions like that!" said Shadow.

"WE WERE ALMOST PURPOSELY KILLED, SHADOW! I THINK I AM ENTITLED TO JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS!"

"Just take a deep breath, Sonic, and let's try to figure it out," suggested Rouge. I sighed angrily again, but did what she asked. Just breathe, dude. In. Out. In. Out. Innnnn. Outtttt. "Better?"

"Only slightly," I said sarcastically.

We heard a moaning from someone other from us coming from below us. We looked down and away and saw Eggman stirring like a kid in the fetal position, because he was in the fetal position.

"Time we get some answers out of this clown," said Shadow, still pissed at his capture.

"Wh-Where are-. OWOWOWOWOW!"

"You need to answer a few questions," said Shadow calmly as he held the doctor up by his mustache. "First off-."

"Shadow, put him down!" ordered Rouge.

"After I get-."

"NOW, HEDGEHOG!" The two stared each other down as Egghead continued to wince in pain. He fell head-first into the sand with a THUD when Mr. Grumpypants let him go, leaving him to pull his head out of the cruddy sand like an ostrich and spit some out. I'd be lying if I didn't think it wasn't funny to see Dr. Eggyolk getting his trademark facial hair abused.

"Alright, doctor," began Shadow, "now you're going to answer a few questions for us, deal?"

"Are you going to pull on my facial hair again if I don't?" he asked sarcastically.

"No… I'll do _worse_."

"What?" I asked. "Are you gonna shave it?" Rouge thought it was funny and snorted. Shadow stared me down.

"This isn't the time for jokes, faker!"

"What? You guys told me to calm down, and jokes calm me down. It lightens the mood." My partners rolled their eyes and went back to Eggman. "It looks like you guys have this handled, so I'm going to make that phone call that I was going to make before I found out we were almost shark food."

I pulled out my phone and woke it up. I could hear Eggman begin to explain himself as I clicked the touchscreen to call my voicemail.

"Maria… she's in danger!" IVO SAYS WHAT?! I flipped off my voicemail and stuck the phone back in my quills.

"What?!" Shadow barked.

"Sonic!" the doc exclaimed.

"Maria's in 'danger' you say, doc?" I asked.

"What have you done with her?! What have you done with my wife?!" Shadow went for Eggman's throat, holding it harshly… that is until I grabbed Shadow by his throat and choke-slammed him into the sand, spurring a gasp from Egghead and Rouge. "Get your hands off of me, faker!"

"You. Need. To. Calm. Down. Let the man speak first. You were the one to say not to jump to conclusions, right?" He growled. "You have a right to mad, but let's hear what he has to say first. You kill him, we won't know what's going on. Got it?"

He wasn't going to accept easily, but he did and I let go of him. "Don't you _ever_ grab me by my throat again, faker!"

"Then don't try and kill the one man who can give some answers at the current moment! Now let me handle this." I turned to the panicked doctor. "Now what's wrong with Maria?"

"She was the reason I need you to help me, Sonic."

"Because she's in danger?"

"Not only that, but you're the only person I knew that could help me help her!"

"Is that why you set Rouge and I free? Is that why you threw that fight in Shamar? Is that what you were going to talk to me about earlier before we were interrupted by Shadow?"

"He threw the fight?" asked Rouge, now confused.

"The answer is 'yes' to all three questions."

"Rouge, can you handle questioning him? I have to make a call… and make sure 'Sunshine' over here doesn't kill him." She nodded and I walked away for a moment and whipped out my phone again. I could feel Shadow give me another death stare for that previous jab at his more lethal outlook on life. I woke the phone yet again and began calling my voicemail, putting the phone to my ear.

"You have _one_ new message." Alright, time to see what Amy wants. "First unheard message:"

" _SONIC, HELP!_ " OH, GOD, NO!

"Amy?! Ames, what's wrong?!"

" _Sonic, we're in trouble! We're under attack!_ "

"AMY! AMY!" Nononono! This in not happening! Please let this be a joke! I heard what sounded like a scuffle on the other end, making my heart break more.

" _We're under… under… help… us… Soniiiiic_."

"AMES! AMY!"

The call ended with a CRUNCH.

"Amy! Amy, come in! AMY!"

"End of message. To repeat this message, press '4', to save it in the archives, press '7'…" I tuned out as I felt my legs give out, kneeling in the sand, watching the sunset. I didn't even feel my phone fall out of my hands. My body was numb, like it had been in ice for hours.

"No… no…" My soft tone was barely audible. This is not happening. This is not happening. This is not happening.

 _***Rouge's POV***_

His sudden yelling and worrying brought my attention off the doctor. His knees were in the sand, his arms went limp, and his face… oh, god; his face. He looked like he just lost everything. By the sound of it, he just may have.

I dropped the doctor and walked slowly behind him. He quietly mumbled, "No… no…," but it was loud enough to hear.

"Sonic, what happened to Amy?"

 _***Sonic's POV***_

"Sonic, what happened to Amy?" I didn't dare look at her. Can't I be alone for this? "Blue, what happened?!" No, don't let me say what I just heard.

"Faker, what happened?!" Shadow asked.

"She's… she's gone. My Amy…" I couldn't end my sentence, but I knew it would enough for them to figure out.

"It's okay, Sonic." WRONG ANSWER.

"HOW, ROUGE?! HOW?!"

"Amy? Is she your girlfriend now, Sonic?"

 _HIM!_ IT HAD TO BE HIM! HE DID THIS! WHO ELSE WOULD MAKE ME HURT THIS MUCH; TO BRING ME DOWN TO MY KNEES?!

My head began to slowly turn as my face was frozen in absolute anger. A teeth-bearing frown was on it; my eyes were no doubt the size of peas. My breathing pattern? Deep, labored breaths.

"YOU! YOU DID THIS!" He didn't have time to retort. I was to his throat in an instant, grabbing it fiercely. My fur had started to turn black. I was enjoying his feeble attempts at breathing.

"SONIC, LET HIM GO!" screamed Rouge.

"After what he's done to me?! _Never_."

"Faker!" Shadow kicked me in the face, causing me to release my hold on the doctor. Shadow now had me at my throat. "You. Need. To. Calm. Down." I hate it when irony screws me over. I shoved him off. He went to pin me down again, but I dodged his attack easily.

"Sonic, if you're done choking me, might you tell me what's going on?!" asked the doc.

"You don't know?! Liar! You knew exactly where to hurt me! You're a liar!"

"Sonic, you need to calm down! Whatever you're accusing me of, rest assured; I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I know you are lying! To prove it, I'LL SHOW YOU!"

"Sonic, where are you going with this?" asked Rouge.

"I'm taking Eggman to see the fruits of his labor!"

"Blue, you're really scaring me now!"

"I'd say you should all see your families IMMEDIATELY."

"Why?"

"Think about it. This fat quack said that Maria was in danger, now so is Amy and possibly my kids, and who knows what else happened?! Who's to say that Knuckles and Emma aren't in trouble too?" They didn't say a word. They thought about it for a second. I took this time to quickly pick up my phone and brush off the sand, tucking it back into my quills.

"Like it or not, I'm taking Eggman with me."

"Sonic, think-."

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

 _***Shadow's POV***_

Faker zapped away in a bright flash, taking three of the Emeralds and Eggman with him. The doctor did say that about Maria…

"Oh, he's so stubborn! I don't know how Amy can handle him! Typical Sonic; jumping to conclusions without any kind of-!"

"We should do what he says."

"What?!"

"You heard him. Eggman said to my face that Maria was in danger. Now, Rose and possibly their offspring are in danger."

"Are you paranoid or something?!"

"That's not my paranoia, Rouge. That's my gut feeling." Rouge looked at me in disbelief, scoffing at the idea. In the pouty mood that she was in, she folded her arms and turned away from me. But I could read her better than anyone, and her body language was all I needed to get answer considering her big ears drooped down. "Rouge, I know that it's a long-shot-."

"I know it's a long-shot, Shadow. It's just that… that…"

"That you don't really want to go and find out?"

She sighed and said, "Yeah."

I sighed too, but in frustration. "Use the Emeralds to get to Angel Island. I'll go to my place and check to see if the doctor was right about Maria. Call me to notify me on any news. Got it?"

She pulled the last two Emeralds from her clothing. "Will do." Before she left, she gave me a hug. "I hope Maria's alright."

"You and me both."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _NOTE 11/16/2015: I just realized something while casually rereading my work. Sonic and company could've just as easily escaped the plane considering that the door that the pilots go out of would have still been open like the fly on a pair of denim shorts. Chalk that up as two plot holes (the first one being in ch. 8)._

 _A plane crash? Amy potentially in trouble?! I know that Amy hasn't gotten a lot of spotlight recently, but this is my way of shoehorning her back into the plot. It goes back to when I first alluded to Part II when I said that Amy wouldn't have as much time in the spotlight, but was also critical to the plot. So that begs the question: what's wrong? Is Sonic not going to like what he finds? What about Maria? What was Eggman telling us the truth that she's in danger too? Or maybe, just maybe, Sonic's right about Rouge's family, despite it being a long-shot? WILL I STOP WITH THE STUPID QUESTIONS ANY TIME SOON? Well, except the last question, you'll just have to find out what happens in the next chapter. Trust me, it's a doozy. There'll be a few questions answered, but more will arise in the process._

 _Schedule for the remaining chapters:_

 _Ch. 17 – 9/22_

 _Ch. 18 – 9/29_

 _Ch. 19 – 10/6_

 _Ch. 20 – 10/13_

 _Ch. 21 & 22 – 10/20_

 _Ch. 23 & 24 – 10/27_

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA._


	17. 17: Highs and Lows

**WARNING: DOES CONTAIN SOME INTENSE, VIOLENT SITUATIONS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. (NO ONE DIES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, JUST SOME BROKEN BONES)**

 **Ch. 17: Highs and Lows**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

Just like the last time I warped, we were above the ground when we got to our location. This time, though, Eggman didn't land on me, rather the other way around. As I got off of him, I stepped on his face, burying it into the ground. Then I grabbed his arm and began pulling him toward my house. We were a bit farther away from the house than I would have liked, but whatever.

"You don't know what I'm talking about, Eggman?!"

"I still don't! Now let me go! Whatev-."

"Shut up!" We were here. "I want you to see what you-."

Oh…

No! No! The more I looked, the more my heart broke. The windows were broken, and the door had been forced open. My grip on the doctor subsided as I stood there looking at the horror in front of me.

"No! No! No! No, no, no!" My feet picked up as I ran into the house. "Please be okay, please be okay!" I ran through the doorframe and quivered. The living room the kitchen, all in shambles, destroyed.

"Amy! Cobalt! Desiree! Melanie! WHERE ARE YOU?!" PLEASE BE HERE, PLEASE BE HERE! I continued to cry out their names. "AMES! COBY! DESI! MEL! WHERE ARE YOU?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" The living room? No. Not even under the couch. The kitchen? I checked every drawer, every cabinet, even the stove and fridge. Not there either! "Amy! Kids! It's alright; daddy's here! You can come out now!" My voice was breaking, my mind racing toward dead end after dead end. Downstairs? I blasted through the door and down the stairs, looking behind the water heater, sump pumps, television set, chairs, treadmill, boxes of junk… OH, THEY'RE NOT HERE EITHER! I blasted back up, my sanity slipping more and more by the second. "WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Upstairs! Through the disaster of the kitchen I ran up the carpeted stairs and found more wreckage. The room doors were all forced open, except for Amy and I's room. I checked there first, turning over every blanket, sheet, pillow, slip cover, under the bed, in the closet… NOTHING! "YOU CAN COME OUT NOW, GUYS! PLEASE! DADDY'S HERE, HE'S HERE NOW!" I burst through the door and went through each of the kids' rooms. "Cobalt?!" His room was empty. "Desiree?!" Hers too. "Melanie?!" It completed the dreadful trifecta. Outside? I ran down and ran around the entire house numerous times. Bushes? No. Trees? Still nothing! I even ran everywhere within a quarter-mile radius, and their still wasn't any sign of them! "WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!" I ran back in, checking everywhere. Rooms, bathrooms, closets, the garage, everywhere! "AMY! COBALT! DESIREE! MELANIE! WHERE ARE YOU?! WHERE?! WHERE RE YOU?!" I saw a glimmer of light come from the kitchen and I ran to it. As I kneeled down…

OH, DEAR GOD.

I picked up a small rock, but it was a rock I was used to seeing every day for nearly seven years now. A shiny rock that Cream helped me pick out that wasn't on her finger, that wasn't on her sweet hand that gave the sweetest and most heart-warming of touches; IT WASN'T ON HER LEFT HAND, IT WASN'T ON HER RING FINGER, AND IT WASN'T ON HER RING! It was the diamond that should have been resting on my promise to her that I would keep her safe. And now… the diamond was still intact, but I now knew the ring was broken, just like my promise to her. "No." The softness of my voice was still maddeningly loud. I gripped it tighter as the tears that had already plagued my face began its worst downpour.

I picked myself up and went to go outside, but I stopped again when I saw a picture of all five of us on the floor, broken. I went to pick that up too. It was all of us on vacation from the previous year in Adabat. Ames and I were there for our honeymoon, and we wanted to show the kids where we had it to let loose and unwind considering the kids had just finished kindergarten. And now it was shattered like my heart, my spirit, and my life. I held it close to my chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Nothing could stop my waterworks. Not a thing. Not even my family, because then I'd still be crying, but it'd be tears of joy. I set the photo down and put the diamond in my glove.

"No. No. No. No. NO. NO. NO. NO! NO! NOO! NOOO! NOOO! NOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The yelling would've broken the windows in the living room, had there been any. I went down on all fours, slamming my first against the hardwood floor in rage and sadness. "No! *SLAM* No! *SLAM* No! *SLAM* No! *SLAM* NO!" They're gone. They are _gone_. "And I was too slow." I picked the photo up again and held it to my chest. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I wasn't there! And I promised I would! I PROMISED!" My yell echoed through my broken home, leaving the silence to rush in. Silence. Alone. I was alone. My family was gone. I wasn't there for them! And now look at me. "I'M SORRY! AMY, I'M SORRY! MELANIE, I'M SORRY! DESIREE, I'M SORRY! COBALT, I'M SORRY!" I resumed my bitterness, putting the picture down and putting my forehead on it, weeping more. "I wasn't here. I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry! Forgive me! FORGIVE ME, AMY! FORGIVE ME, KIDS! PLEASE, FORGIVE MEEEEEE!" But now they couldn't. Could they?

 _***Eggman's POV***_

He held out his last word with a loud volume before he returned to a bitter weep. I have always dreamed of having him like this. Crying, defeated, broken beyond repair. I had dreamed of him at my feet with broken bones and gushing blood, just about to die, and have him kiss my feet, begging for me to end his miserable life. Begging me to have him join his dead friends, not caring what would happen to the world. And I dreamed of cocking a pistol and not firing, letting him live so he could witness the things that I had planned. I would stick his friends' dead bodies up for him to see every day. I would physically torture him where he begged again for me endlessly to take him out, to psychologically peel away every layer of his brain and break him more and more each day as his cries for mercy would grow as I did nothing to honor his wishes.

But that was then. This is now. I was no longer the madman who wanted the world and everyone pledging their allegiance to me once again. I didn't want him dead anymore, even though the thought had come to my mind every so often. He was broken, like I had dreamed he would, but it was not by my hand. His tears, his yelling, his emotions, his panic… I couldn't believe this, but I didn't want to see him like this. What he was going through was the worst kind of torture that anyone could bear. Heartbreak. Regret. He was destroyed, and now, he was no longer the hero of Mobius. He was something else. He was a shell of a man now. But what made him like this?

He said that annoying brat's name more times than I could count. Was he in love with that her? He had to have been. Were they married? Wouldn't that be the world's biggest irony; marrying one's stalker when he tried so long to get away from her? But I can see a gold ring around his left ring finger. How I hadn't noticed it earlier was a mystery. But what about those other names he spouted off? He doesn't have what I think he has, does he? Or as the case is now: he didn't have what I think he had, did he? At least not anymore?

"Sonic?" That was a mistake, as he stopped his crying and glared at me. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were large. His pupils weren't; they were barely visible on his face. Oh, dear! They were glowing white! And his fur's turning black! I backed away slowly. "Sonic… Sonic, I mean no harm!" In a flash he was in my face, breathing heavily and louder as the seconds passed. I have never seen him so upset before in my life. NEVER.

"NOW YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" he yelled demonically.

"Sonic, this wasn't me!"

"LIAR!" He grabbed my throat pinned me to a wall, lifting me off the floor. "YOU DID THIS! TAKE A GOOD LOOK, EGGMAN! THIS IS ALL YOU!"

"I-I didn't do this!"

"SHUT UP, WILL YOU?! THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN SAY THAT CAN CONVINCE ME!"

But I'll die trying.

"Sonic, I didn't-!"

His grip on my throat began to impede my breathing. "YOU THINK YOU CAN FOOL ME?! TAKE A GOOD LOOK, YOU FAT PIECE OF GARBAGE! LOOK! MY HOME IS DESTROYED! MY _FAMILY_ IS GONE! MY COBALT, MY DESIREE, MY MELANIE, _MY AMY!_ THEY ARE GONE! _GONE!_ AND YOU TOOK THEM AWAY FROM ME! MURDERER!"

"I didn't *COUGH* murd-."

"LIAR!" He slammed my head against the wall. "MY FAMILY IS GONE BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO END ME, AND MY FAMILY WAS THE BEST WAY TO GET ME ON MY HANDS AND KNEES, BEGGING FOR MERCY! YOU KNEW THAT! _YOU KNEW THAT_! NOW WHERE ARE THEY?! WHERE ARE THEIR BODIES?! TELL ME!"

"Son-*COUGH COUGH*-ic, I didn't… I didn't-."

"LIAR!" Another head bashing came. "TELL ME!"

"I… I didn't know you had-."

"LIAR! YOU KNEW! YOU ALWAYS KNEW! YOU ESCAPED SO I COULD GO AFTER YOU SO THAT YOU COULD SEND OUT PEOPLE TO KILL THEM! ADMIT IT! ADMIT IT, OR YOUR LIFE IS OVER!"

With a free hand, I finally was able to get enough air for one sentence. "Let me go, and I can explain!"

"THEN EXPLAIN NOW!"

"I can't when you're choking me!" The logic seemed to get through to him, as he let go of my neck and dropped me. I began gasping for breath, and once again, I was at his mercy.

"I've humored you, Eggman, now explain!"

"Will you give me a minute?!"

"Explain!"

"Alright!" After two more gasps, I was ready. "Sonic, I didn't know you had a family, I didn't know that Amy was your wife, and I certainly didn't know you had children! I was never told, not even by Maria. I did not know, Sonic! I did not know that this was where you lived. I've only been out for a few days, and I was never told by Genesis that you had a family or were even married for that matter! He didn't tell me anything! I never looked you up to see if you had a family, I didn't look up to see if you were married, and I was never told! I know that with what I have done to you, you have no reason to believe me. You probably think that I'm lying just to save my own skin, but you're wrong! I'm telling you the truth! I don't have the heart to do that anymore!"

"Shadow would disagree!"

"I was forced to capture him! Remember?!" I took in a deep breath and continued. "Sonic, I know that you have no reason to believe what I have said, but I am telling you the truth, on my Cousin Maria's life and on the life of her unborn child, _I did not do this!_ I never did! And I give you my word that I would never do that! I am not the same man that tried to take over the world again! I am not the same man who would do anything to kill you! And I would never harm a child for the wrong reasons! I am telling you the truth, Sonic. I swear it on my cousin's life and on her unborn child's life! I didn't do it!"

I was done, and I prayed that I got through to him, but it was all up to him now. His breathing was slowing, almost back to normal levels, but that black aura was still surrounding him like the temptation to end me.

"Take off your glasses."

"What?"

"Take them off!" Better not disappoint him, Ivo. I did as he commanded, revealing my eyes to him once again. "Now look me in the eyes and tell you did not do it! Convince me!"

I nodded and said, "I swear to you, Sonic. I did not know that you were married to Amy, or that you had kids and a family. I am truly sorry for your loss. Trust me, I feel the same way about Maria. I give you my word that I would never, on the lives of my cousin and her child, go after your family like this or go after them at all. I know you have no reason to expect the truth to come from my mouth, but you have to believe me when I say that I have changed. I don't want the world anymore. I gave up on that idea when I resurrected Maria. I still may not like you for foiling my plans, but I would never go as far as hurt an innocent child. It's not in my nature anymore."

 _***Sonic's POV***_

I debated internally whether he was being truthful or not. Before I could come to a conclusion, my phone began buzzing in my quills and I powered down my darkness to answer it. "This is Sonic."

"S-Sonic…." He _never_ calls me "Sonic". This is bad. I just know it.

"Shadow? What is it? You sound… sad."

"I think I have a right to be!"

"Shadow, you're crying, aren't you?"

"Yes, faker! What did you think I was doing?!"

"Whoa, whoa. Easy, Shadow. What happened?"

"Maria… she's gone." OH GOD, NO. "I can't find her! I CAN'T FIND MARIA! AND ROUGE CAN'T FIND KNUCKLES OR EMMA!" I hated how right I was about them.

"What?!"

"Do I need to repeat myself, Sonic?!"

"Shadow, calm down."

"This coming from the same-!"

"Drop it, Shadow. You're not the only one who's lost their family."

"You mean…?"

"Yeah. Amy… the kids… they're gone too. Without a trace." An idea popped into my head. Rouge's family too? I know I ordered them to check their families, and I understand Maria not being home given what Eggman told us, but no Knux and Emma? All three of our families gone _at the same time_? Something wasn't right… and that was the understatement of the year.

"Was Rouge able to find Knuckles or Emma?"

"No, can't you hear right?! She claimed she looked all over the island, but nothing came up."

"And the Master Emerald?"

"She didn't say."

"So all of our families are all missing at the same time? Outside of the obvious 'this is really, really bad,' there's something else we're missing. Call me crazy, but this seems too… coincidental." I saw the canisters again and got an idea.

"Since when are you a conspiracy theorist?"

"Even since I found out that we're all suddenly family-less. Listen, Shadow, I'm sorry about Maria. I really am. But we need to try and keep a level head. There's something else at play here. Search the house for any kind of evidence. What can you tell me about the break-in at your place?"

"Why would you need to know that?"

"An idea just came to mind. Now what can you tell me about the break-in?"

"Let me check." I could hear him run back inside and check around some of the house judging by the whooshing that I heard from his high speeds. Come to think of it, it's been forever since Maria had us over. Well, it didn't look like we were going to get that opportunity ever again. "There are a few tear gas canisters in here, and it looks like a fight occurred."

"At least Maria went down fighting."

"NOT HELPING, FAKER!"

"Sorry. What else?"

"Just her watch. It's broken. Someone stepped on it at 10:33."

"Wait, what was that time again?"

"10:33." I pulled out my phone. Amy's call was from 10:37. The times are slightly off, but…

"Did you need anything else?"

"No. Call Rouge again. Tell her to check her house for any kind of evidence that she can find. Maybe there's a clue to who did this. We'll rendezvous at Angel Island in thirty minutes. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll talk to you-." He hung up on me. Figures. But with that conversation, I knew my only lead on who did this was a dead end.

Eggman's innocent.

"That was about Maria, wasn't it?" Eggman asked lowly.

I turned back to Eggman. "Unfortunately, yes. Rouge's family is missing too."

"Like you said, 'coincidental'. What's so important about the time?"

"I have an idea, but I'll tell you later. I need to gather some evidence first; try and figure out what happened here. Y'know, find a connection."

"You can do that? I'd love to know how."

"I may not have always liked when I was with G.U.N. all those years ago, but I can still use what they taught me and put it to good use. Like gathering evidence and figuring out potential solutions."

"Hypothesizing."

"No, it's called 'detective work'. Now stay quiet. I need to focus. And Eggman? Don't even think about leaving. I'll have questions for you later."

"You have my word." I nodded and went to work. First, flip on the lights.

CLICK went the lights.

Since I'm already in the living room, I'll start here. But before that, what do I know? Amy and the kids are gone. They are not in the building or on any part of the property for that matter. I know that Amy tried to contact me at 10:37 PM two nights ago. Almost fifty hours ago to be more accurate. But that's about I know about the situation… _at home_.

Okay… living room. The canisters. Upon closer inspection, these canisters probably held tear gas. Common in riot controls by S.W.A.T. teams. Amy and the kids were the riot they needed to stop. Okay, so how'd the gas get in here? By the invaders? The front and back doors were both forced open, nearly ripping them off their hinges. That explains the invaders' entrances, but not the windows. As I walked closer, I noticed that the couch was placed in such a way that its back was to the window, had pieces of glass all over it, and it looked like it wasn't even touched during the attack. There were no signs of scuffing near the window to support the claim that they entered through the window too, and there wasn't any glass outside the house. Hmm. So the invaders came in through the front and back doors, but that had to have been after the tear gas was inside. There would be no reason to throw in the canisters when you were already inside. Come to think of it, there'd be no reason at all, unless there was somebody in here when the gas was thrown. Okay, Sonic, start putting some things together. Canisters, forced-open doorways, broken glass that's exclusive to the inside of the house.

Duh! The canisters were thrown in from the outside first, and then the invaders forced open the doors to gain access. Since they were thrown into the house that would explain why there's glass all over the couch. The forward momentum of the thrown canisters broke the glass and probably carried the shards forward, even if only slightly. But that brings up another question. Why throw them in at all? You'd only need gas if someone was… someone, at the very least, had to have been in the room when it happened!

Now… is there any way to prove that anyone was in the room? Let's see… the couch wasn't out of the question. Maybe whoever was in here was on there before the projectiles came in. But then there's this broken table next to the recliner that held that picture of us in Adabat. There's a book here too in amongst the wooden debris. _The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry_. Cream got this for Amy for her birthday two days before the attack. I remember that for the last few nights, she hadn't been able to put it down. She was about halfway through the book when I left. The fact that this book is in the room proves Amy was here when the attacks happened.

But why was the table broken? Maybe she was reading late at night in the room? That would explain why the tear gas was tossed in. She had to have been in the living room when it happened. Since the main fight happened in here and the kitchen, and presumably she was outnumbered during the fight, even if Amy went down fighting, and it's pretty clear that she did, it probably would've lasted only a few minutes. And then she called at 10:37. Maria's watch was smashed at 10:33. Okay, what happened here is starting to take form. Amy was probably reading that book at around 10:30 at night, until she decided it was time for bed. The only way to prove that she wasn't attacked when she was in the chair was the book near the remains of the small table. She set the book down, got up (maybe to go to bed), and then was attacked.

When she was first gassed, the stuff would've impeded her breathing for obvious reasons. And then the invaders barged in. The main fight between Amy and the invaders happened in the living room and kitchen. My guess is that it started in the living room. Someone was thrown into the table, breaking it and the picture, but in the heat of the moment, whoever was tossed into it probably didn't notice or care.

XXXXXXX

 **TWO DAYS PRIOR**

 _ *****Amy's POV*****_

 **I'm surprised the kids went to bed as easily as they did, especially since Daddy isn't here. Oh… Sonic's not here. I thought my birthday was supposed to be a happy day… and he had to leave me for the second time on it too. He didn't want to, but it was either the family or the world. I love it when he saves the world. He's never lost a battle. Not one. I know he'd do it again, especially against someone like Eggman.**

 **He's not the only one I'm worried about. Maria must be heart-broken. Oh, the poor thing. If he really did steal her Shadow… oh, it's too much to worry about. Sonic'll save him! Rouge will too!**

 **Rouge… she just gets back home, sees Knuckles and little Emma, and then she has to leave right away again.**

 **And then there's me with my three angels. That makes seven people with their loved ones out in Shamar… in deep trouble… against that fat doctor… OH, SONIC! PLEASE COME HOME SAFE!**

 **Amelia Melanie Rose-Hedgehog, you know Sonic better than anyone! He's never lost to that fat quack and he never will! Besides, he wants to come home, he wants to play football with Cobalt, he wants to do anything to make his little girls smile, and he wants to hold me.**

 **Oh… me in his arms. Maybe that's what I miss most about him. That feeling of security, of safety; knowing that he'll do anything to make sure I'm safe, free from harm. Those strong arms… that beautiful face… those big, blue quills… and those emerald eyes. Even when he's not physically here being the father of our three angels, or when he's not here as my loving, protecting husband, he's always going to be with us, and he keeps finding ways to make me fall in love with him.**

 **But it's time to stop fantasizing, mainly because it's half past ten o'clock, and that full moon is out, high above that clear, starry sky on this beautiful late spring night. It was a heck of a view, even from the living room. I set my book on the little table next to the recliner that I was sitting in and shut off the lights, ready for bed.**

 **I stopped quickly as I thought I had heard something coming from outside. It sounded like… chatter? Was somebody outside? I stepped quietly and went back into the living room, trying to see out the window, but my eyes were still getting used to the darkness. Whatever it was, it had stopped.**

 ***CRACK***

 **What was that?! That sounded like it came from the back of the house. Okay… was somebody here? Another sound made me turn my head violently back into the living room, this time sounding like footsteps.**

" **H-Hello? Is s-somebody th-there?" Please be wrong, please be wrong, please be wrong, please be wrong, please be wrong! I summoned my hammer silently, ready for attack. "S-Sonic? Is that you?" Please be Sonic, please be Sonic, please be Sonic, please be Sonic, please be Sonic! "Dear, if that's you, then it's not funny!"**

" **AHH!" My attention turned to the living room where glass had broken in the living room. No one was there, but there were two canisters thrown in with glass all around them. The canisters began spraying a gas and it quickly enveloped the living room. I coughed violently, trying to make my way upstairs, to get some air and get the kids.**

 ***CRASH***

 **I heard both doors get broken into with armed men come in. They spotted me. Oh, no!**

 **I tried to flee up the stairs but I was caught by the back of my shirt and thrown down from the stairs, landing on the table next my recliner, breaking it into pieces with a loud crash. I was kicked in the back and screamed in agony.**

 **I grabbed my hammer and swung, getting an invader's leg, probably breaking it upon contact. He went down and screamed for help and a few men aided him. The gas was not helping my situation, making me cough and blurring my vision.**

" **Mommy?" NONONONONONONO!**

" **Cobalt! Run!"**

 **He screamed as more men went up the stairs. THEY WERE GOING FOR THE KIDS!**

" **STAY AWAY FROM MY SON!" I got up and started swinging at the invaders, catching some in the head and others in the arm as I made my way to the stairs. I heard my son scream again, and then my daughters. "Get your hands off-! YACK!"**

 **I grabbed this time by my neck of my shirt and thrown down, tumbling down the stairs. I was disoriented. The gas… my body in agony…**

" **Let me go!" my daughter screamed.**

" **Melanie!" Another kick to the back sent a shriek out of me. Another… and another… and another… They were kicking me so much that they had kicked me into the kitchen. I was losing consciousness. A man now had his arm around my neck impeding my breathing.**

XXXXXXX

 _***Sonic's POV***_

Eventually, the fight went into the kitchen. Along the way, I found traces of blood on the carpeting leading to the kitchen. There wasn't a whole lot of it either.

"Find out anything yet?" asked the doctor.

"A few things. First, Amy was probably on her way to bed, or maybe she got out of the chair for another reason, at around 10:30. At that time, the tear gas came crashing in through the living room windows. The perpetrators would've waited a few seconds for the gas to take effect, and then they barged in through the doors. A fight ensued. A body fell on what's left of that table."

"Could it have been Amy that fell on it?"

"Possibly, but that's irrelevant information. The fight carried into the kitchen. You can tell because of the blood patterns on the carpeting and the kitchen table."

"Is it Amy's blood?"

"It might be. I'm not exactly sure." We walked into the kitchen slowly and flipped on a light. We both saw a small pool of blood. "This small pool of blood was where the diamond was."

"What diamond?"

"Oh, right… you don't know about that." I reached back into my glove and held it up to him. "This diamond is the same one, sorry, _was_ the same one that Amy had on her wedding band, but as you can see, it's been broken off."

"What could've caused that? It would take a lot to break off a stone, much less a diamond, from a ring."

"You're right… it would."

XXXXXXX

 _ *****Amy's POV*****_

 **Must… get… hammer… save… kids… SAVE KIDS!**

 **I threw him off, but was barely able to stand. I picked up my hammer, but it was kicked out of my hand. Another throw to the ground later, and I was down on the floor with boots pinning my hands down to the floor. I heard a slight SNAP come from my hand, but I didn't feel any of my bones break. My hammer was just out of my reach.**

 **But I can't give up!**

XXXXXXX

 _***Sonic's POV***_

"Let's see…," I began. "During the fight Amy's left hand, more specifically, her left ring finger, would have had to come into contact with something hard to bust it off. Amy doesn't like using fisticuffs in brawling; she'd rather use her hammer. So a punch that would be hard enough to break it is out of the question. But then there's the blood on the ground and boot marks all around the floor. Hmm."

"Sonic, there's more blood over here." My ears perked up and I walked over to the countertop, seeing a deeper shade of splattered red on it. "Maybe Amy was bashed into the marble countertop?"

"That's impossible. Look at the blood on the floor, and then the one here." He did so. "This blood is too dark to be hedgehog blood. This is _human_ blood. That lighter shade of red on the floor is hedgehog blood… probably Amy's. So what caused the blood to come out?"

"Shot? Stabbed?"

"Unlikely. There'd be a bullet hole to see if a gun went off, and if there was a stabbing, there would've been a lot more blood. She might've been bleeding out of her mouth. And she'd only have that much blood on the floor if she was on the ground. Probably face-down. And then someone must have stepped on her hand… hard. I've determined that the vandals are highly trained and coordinated, given their supplies and tactics for entering house. They knew what they were getting into when they broke in. They probably had some pretty good equipment, probably some high-maintenance boots. With those boots and a stomp with enough pounds of force behind it, and if it landed on Amy's ring, that would explain how her diamond broke off."

"That was absolutely amazing that you able to figure all that out. You'd give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money."

"Thanks. But one thing puzzles me. Why come into the kitchen?"

XXXXXXX

 _ *****Amy's POV*****_

" **You're not holding me back!" I yelled. I screamed and struggled to move my arms and somehow got my right arm free, throwing the first guy off. I made my hand a fist, connecting with the man on my left in his baby-maker, making him bend over in agony. He went up an octave and I threw another punch, getting his face.**

 **The kids were being brought down the stairs, held in the vandals' arms, unconscious, but breathing. Sticking out of each of them, save for Desiree, was what looked like a dart.**

" **GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY KIDS!" I grabbed my hammer and charged, but another intruder grabbed my arm, spun me around and threw me into the wooden kitchen table.**

XXXXXXX

 _***Sonic's POV***_

"Well, you did say the fight came into here; maybe it was to call you?" the doctor offered.

"That's right!"

"The only reason I'm say that is because it looks like her phone's crushed."

"Huh?"

"Near the back entrance." He pointed there.

"How did I miss _that_?"

"You were in a frantic panic a few minutes ago looking for your family… not her phone," Eggman retorted dryly.

"Touché." I walked over to the crushed piece of tech and half-heartedly pressed the power button. Somehow, it turned on, but navigating it was a real chore given that it was crushed so hard that it was nearly impossible to navigate to any of the phone's apps. I checked her call log and found the one from two days ago. 10:37 PM.

"The phone was probably in here at the time of the attack. At some point, she knew that she wouldn't be able to win the fight, so she called me at 10:37 to get help from me, or least send out some sort of S.O.S. From what I can gather, it only took her about seven minutes to be beaten, assuming that the fight started at 10:30."

"I thought with all the chasing of you that she's done, she would have more stamina."

"You'd be right, but when you're outnumbered, beaten, gassed, and bloodied all within a short amount of time like she was, you can get tuckered out quickly. Besides, if I may be honest, Amy, from a physical standpoint, isn't as strong as me. She put up one hell of a fight, without a doubt, but it… it still wasn't enough to give her the 'W'. During the phone call, she went under."

XXXXXXX

 _ *****Amy's POV*****_

 **The kids were taken out of the house, leaving only me. I saw my phone out of the corner of my eye and grabbed it, pulling up Sonic's number. There was no way I was going to be able to fend them off; who knows how many more were here?**

" **Hey, this is Sonic the Hedgehog, I'm unable to take your call-."**

 **DAMN THIS VOICEMAIL! I can't even trust the police. Why would I when I had him?! The recorded talking stopped. FINALLY!**

" **SONIC, HELP! Sonic, we're in trouble! We're under attack!" I was cut off by a dart to the arm. Getting tired… I mustered up my strength to shove one intruder into the marble counter, landing face-first, and putting him to sleep. I grabbed my phone and resumed. "We're under… under…," this stuff is… making me…, "help… us… Soniiiiic." I dropped my phone and it was crushed under a man's foot and slid out of my reach toward the back door. I weakly looked up with the rest of my strength and saw him with another dart, going for my arm. He swiftly pierced the skin. I exhaled one last time before losing all consciousness.**

XXXXXXX

 _***Sonic's POV***_

"But something still isn't adding up," I said.

"Oh?"

"At some point during the fight, Amy's maternal instincts would've kicked in. She would've known that the kids were in danger too. Since they're gone too, that supports my theory. I know Amy, and she would have done everything in her power to try and keep the kids safe. Never mess with a mother's kids."

"So what are you saying?"

"I've got every bit of information down here as I could. When I was down in the basement earlier, there wasn't any sign of anyone being down there. So there's no reason to go downstairs looking for evidence. The next part of the house to look for evidence is upstairs in the bedrooms."

"Alright. Let's go."

"Hold on, doc," I said as I stopped him in his tracks. "No offense, but when it comes to my kids, it's a very, _very_ personal matter. If you can understand, I'd like to be alone when I check upstairs. I concentrate better when I'm alone. It's nothing against you; I just want to be alone."

He nodded. "Alright." I nodded back and headed upstairs.

Okay… the hallway leading to all the bedrooms was pretty well kept given the chaos that ensued. Not even a sign of a certain Piko Piko Hammer in the drywall. Wait… no signs of a fight, it was during the invasion… oh, man. Amy never got a chance to get up here, did she? I know Amy probably wanted to, but she probably couldn't considering she was too busy being outnumbered downstairs. The kids were sitting ducks. The only fighting they knew was the Spin Dash and Homing Attack, but they had never been in combat before, and you can't exactly get by in a fight with just that on your side (unless they were me). You would need to master them first, which they didn't. But I digress.

There probably isn't any evidence in my bedroom since Amy never got the chance to get there, so I'll start with the kids' rooms. First, Cobalt. I walked into his sky-blue-painted room and found a small disaster area. The room was a mess, given that I was trying to look for anyone in this room, but then again, it was messy before, kinda like a brawl happened in here. For the amount of debris in a normally well-kept bedroom, I can surmise that Cobalt had to have been awake for this mess to have occurred. Maybe he even knew that something wasn't right. Amy's fighting and struggling would have been more than loud enough to wake anybody. Coby knew that he was in trouble, and for a 6-year-old, he fought as best he could, but was eventually overpowered. Other than the usual fight signs, there was nothing in the bed, next to the bed, under the bed or anything that could give me a clue as to who did this.

Next, I went to Melanie's room, which was "pinkified" to match her fur color. Hers was cleaner than Coby's room (even though I tore this room up too), so there wasn't too much of a struggle in here. My guess is that they took Mel away no problem.

Well, I doubt they fought in the bathroom. That was pretty clean, so the only place left is Desi's room. Her room was like a happy medium between the mess in her brother's room and the clean state of her sister's abode, again no doubt to me tearing through every room to find them. I checked the bed first. Nothing. Under it? Also nothing. I walked around the bed to get a look at everything in the room, but slipped and fell on something that I stepped on that rolled under my feet as I moved.

"Everything alright up there?" yelled Eggman.

"I'm fine! I just slipped!"

What did I slip and fall on anyway? I moved my foot and saw something cylindrical and metallic. Upon picking it up, I got up and moved to the lights to gets get a better view of it. Huh. A stainless steel cylinder with an equally stainless steel needle tip. Topped off with a weird feather-like pattern painted metallic gray/silver color and a scratched-off surface on it, possibly its serial number. But on the tip there was blood. It had the same coloration as Amy's from downstairs. It had to be Desiree's.

This little thing looked oddly familiar somehow. Familiar in a sense where it just hung on the edge of my tongue, but for time being, I couldn't place it. This had to have been something they *GULP* _shot_ into my little girl. But why this dart-looking thing? Dart… dart… OH. OH MY.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew why it seemed familiar! I had used these years ago whenever it was for recovery and extraction missions! When it punctured skin, it would release a small, but very potent, non-lethal agent into the bloodstream that would render its target unconscious in a matter of seconds regardless of species or size. This kind of dart was only used by _one_ group of people. I had to use these darts dozens of times when I went undercover for-.

Wait! Non… Non… NON-LETHAL! Sleeper dart! That means… that means… who's to say that this kind of ammo was only used on Desi?! If this was only used by one group of people, then why not use it on all of them?! But that means…

They're… They're… They're alive. They're alive! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE!

YES! YEEEEEEEEEES! I began to hyperventilate at the stunning reaction to the news. It made perfect sense! Wait… from what Shadow told me about his home and assuming that Rouge's home had the same treatment, if the modus operandi (M.O.) for my family's _abduction_ was similar to the others', then why say that it was only my family who got the same treatment?! It's not just my family that's alive! Amy, Cobalt, Desiree, Melanie, Knuckles, Emma, and Maria are alive! They're all alive! My single tear turned into sobs of joy as I pulled a pillow off of my purple daughter's head and cried joyous tears into it.

Wait… Why would they want my family? For what reason? For protection from the doctor because of his "escape"? No, they would've knocked on the door and asked my family nicely to go to a safe-house with Eggman on the loose, should they feel that they would be a target. That would've made sense, but they didn't do that. They broke in, they destroyed my home, they knocked around my wife, they took her, they took my children; they abducted them all! And for what reason? My family is not powerful enough to topple them, nor would we want to! They took my family, they took Rouge's family, and they took Shadow's wife and unborn child for no reason whatsoever! WHY? Why did they do it? There is no legitimate reason for their treachery! None whatsoever! And they think that they can get away with this? Does G.U.N. honestly believe that they can just smack our families around for kicks and then take them away like a prize?! And why would the _he_ order this?! Why sanction these attacks?! Isn't _he_ supposed to be the good guy?! For what reason?! And why try to kill us all?! Why send us to Shamar to be lead like lambs to slaughter?! And that plane crash! Why kill us there?! Was it some sort of back-up plan?! That's what it had to have been! But that leads me back to my earlier question: WHY KILL US AT ALL?!

Okay, calm down, Sonic. You're not got going to get every question answered at this moment. Let's review. First, my family, along with Rouge's and Shadow's, has been abducted. The reason being the crimes, assumingly, follow the same modus operandi. That means they broke in and abducted our families, given the sleeper dart I have in my right hand with the stainless steel everything and scratched-off serial number and is only used by G.U.N. extraction teams. That means that they were taken away, but to a location I do not know. My team, Eggman, and I were supposed to be killed off at some point; my team and I by Eggman's hand and then Eggman at some point probably he'd be a loose end, or we were all supposed to die on a staged plane crash on our trip back home as a backup plan. While we were gone, G.U.N. sent three teams, specifically majoring in extraction tactics, to abduct our families while we were away, rendering Shadow, Rouge, and myself unable to get back home in time to stop them. So that makes the mission to bring in Eggman and rescue Shadow a cover-up for the deeds they have committed.

Okay, now for the six big questions: who, what, how, where, when, and why.

Who? The targets, on one hand, were Rouge, Shadow, and myself to be killed in action at Eggman's hand, and probably the doctor soon afterwards for aforementioned loose-end-related reasons. If not by Eggman's hand, then G.U.N. directly via the plane crash. Then there are the families, making up the second half of the equation. Maria, her unborn child, Knuckles, Emma, Amy, Cobalt, Desiree, and Melanie were the targets, and G.U.N. the abductors. But what about this "Genesis" character? Was he possibly the one behind this? He had to have been. It's the only way to prove that he sent us three to be killed by Eggman's hand, break out Eggman from maximum security prison, acquire the Chaos Emeralds from under G.U.N.'s nose, and not tell us that Emeralds were swiped in the first place. This would also explain the plane crash. The pilots were no doubt lackeys of Genesis, making their fast escape with us seemingly unable to escape whatsoever. He then abducted our families for unknown reasons. That means he has to be someone who had access to G.U.N.'s extraction teams, is highly intelligent, knows all those affected incredibly well, and resides somewhere in the higher tiers of G.U.N., or more broadly, the United Federation's government.

What? What was stolen? Our families.

How? My team and I were gone, away on missions, which the government sent us on to be killed and leave our families vulnerable. Let's face it. It's easier to take down a single Sonic Hero parent and their small children, or unborn in Maria's case, as opposed to two parents (at the same time), one G.U.N. agent (former or current) per household and each a very capable fighter and hero in their own right. And as for the families, "how" would refer to the capture. First, there were tear gas canisters thrown in to discombobulate the parent and/or children in the room. Then, the doors were forced open, giving them the element of surprise and an unfair advantage to them, given that their target(s) were being choked out by tear gas. Fights (probably) occurred on the other sites, but all were eventually overwhelmed by the higher number of abductors at the respective houses, and then taken away to a different location, all of which are alive, but unconscious.

Where? Eggman was forced into killing of my team and it was supposed to happen at the Palace of Shernar Husseil-Mala in the Shamarian deserts. If not there, then in the ocean, next to the home continent to make it look like there was a malfunction leading to a fatal plane crash. That would cover up the pilots' escape, because it would be assumed the pilots and us would be either destroyed by the crash, the ensuing explosion, or washed away at sea to become crispy shark food (because a cooked meal is better than a raw one, even for sharks). For the families, all the home invasions happened at their homes. For my family, it was out in the country-side, but not too far away from Mobotropolis, where there aren't any neighbors within a half mile of residency. Then there's Shadow's wife and unborn kid, living in solitude fifty-three miles away from us, also in the country, and with no neighbors in the immediate area. Finally, there's Knuckles and Emma, who lived in a house on Angel Island that Knucklehead and Rouge built shortly after their marriage to accommodate potential guests and/or potential little ones living in the house with them that called them "mom and dad".

When? My team and I were supposed to be killed yesterday at Eggman's hand, or in the case of the plane crash, about an hour ago, give or take a few minutes. For the families, assuming the M.O. hasn't changed, all three families were abducted about fifty hours ago, or two days and two hours ago.

And finally, why? The families' abductions do not make any sense, and will need more thorough investigating. Same applies for the rest of my team. Assuming this Genesis wanted me dead, his motives for killing me are simple: he hates me, fiercely at that. But that doesn't explain why he needed Shadow and Rouge killed off. Possibly to potentially stop him from abducting our families, or as the case will be, rescuing them? Or maybe a case of loose ends needing to get tied up? I will not know fully what his exact motives are for all the crimes he has committed, but given enough time to investigate further, eventually confronting him in the end, we will be able to find our families and bring down Genesis.

I got up onto my feet and put the dart in between my quills. "Alright," I thought out loud, "It's time to go to work."

Amy? Kids? Don't worry. Daddy's coming.

Next stop, Angel Island.

XXXXXXX

 _ *****Amy's POV*****_

" **Lemme go! Lemme-."**

 ***SMACK***

" **Shut up, kid!"**

 **I heard a slap connect and I awoke. I looked around and saw my son get struck.**

" **DON'T TOUCH MY SON! YOU HEAR ME? DON'T TOU-!" My yelling was stopped as a powerful liquid blast, sending me back onto the hard floor. I shook the water off of me and stood back up, but in a load of pain. When I looked again, the kids were gone. I remembered seeing my three kids being held tightly by force… along with… EMMA?! I'd recognize that pink fur and those big, batty ears anywhere!**

 **I slowly walked up to the opening and saw that the wall was made of glass. "Where am I?" I thought out loud. I touched the wall and got another free wash. I stepped back, now soaking wet. I looked around my feet and saw water, and it had begun to pool. There had to be at least 2" of the stuff. I slowly walked back up. Okay… when I touch the glass, it gives me a rough and cold shower. I got as close I could and looked out of the room. I was in a circular room with other rooms like mine. Was I in some sort of a cell like a prisoner?**

 **No way! I looked at the other cells, and I saw two all-too-familiar and unconscious faces. In one was Knuckles, looking like he had gone through a war, and hurting because of it. In the other was Maria. He sky blue dress was in tatters, but otherwise, she didn't look too beat up. I was able to make out my own reflection in the glass, and I looked like hell.**

 **I had to get out of here. I need to save my kids! I conjured my Piko Piko Hammer and wound up for a swing. And…**

" **AHHHHH!" I yelled as I swung and connected with glass, again and again. I stopped and looked up to see the glass without so much as a scratch. I swung a few more times, still getting no cracks or scratches in the glass. "WHAT'S THIS GLASS MADE OF?!"**

" **It is 2½" of specially-made glass, Mrs. Hedgehog. Even your over-sized hammer won't break it." I heard footsteps coming towards me. "And as you've experienced, touching the glass with your hands will make you all wet. Keep that up, and you'll get so much water in there that you'll drown." He was now in front of my cell.**

 **NO WAY.**

" **Let me out! Let me ou-!"**

" **You're not going to be going anywhere, Amy." He leaned in, and his smile was smug, downright devilish.**

" **Let me go… and give me back my kids!"**

" **Hmm… let me think. No. This is your new home, Mrs. Hedgehog. And as for the kids… they are no longer yours. THEY ARE MINE! Just like you!"**

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _That was an incredibly emotional chapter, no? Sorry for the disclaimer, but this part need it. I know that there's a lot to digest with this chapter, so take it slow if you need to. I will admit, given how many chapters there are and how wordy they can be, the plot and flow of the story can be complex._

 _So yes, Amy and the kids have been abducted, not to mention Knuckles, Emerald, and pregnant Maria. Boy, Sonic's gonna have to do some serious heroism if he thinks he has a chance of saving them. I decided to put in Amy's experiences into this chapter because Amy and the kids haven't been of big characters in the story's second half. If I had just put in Sonic figuring out what happened at his house (crime scene analysis and some forensic work à la NCIS), then you might've been generally confused by Sonic's detective work... that and the story would be lacking something if a little bit of backstory wasn't involved in terms of Amy's kidnapping._

 _And then there's Genesis again. Like last time (if you feel so inclined), you can speculate who this psycho is, but don't ask me who this nutcase is. I won't confirm or deny your potential guess so the sake of potentially ruining the ending._

 _So we have 7 chapters to go, and here's the schedule for the remaining chapters:  
Ch. 18 – 9/29  
Ch. 19 – 10/6  
Ch. 20 – 10/13  
Ch. 21 & 22 – 10/20  
Ch. 23 & 24 – 10/27_

 _This chapter is one of the longest chapters in the story, and I had a lot of fun throwing in elements from crime dramas and the dark nature of a Batman story into this._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA._


	18. 18: The Setup by Favored Nation

**Ch. 18: "The Setup" by Favored Nation**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

I walked out of Desiree's room and descended the stairwell. I looked around the living room, but did not see Eggman at all. If he left…

"Eggman! Show yourself!"

"I'm down in the basement!" I heard the creaking of wooden stairs as he came up from the basement through the kitchen and finally into the living room. He was holding some big binder of sorts.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Oh, I was just looking around your house. I didn't mean to intrude, but you were taking a while upstairs. You made a mess downstairs when you were in that panic earlier, and as I was looking around, I stumbled upon this binder."

One good look at it and I knew what it was. On Amy's birthday, two days ago, we decided after our [hot] make-out session to put all of our old wedding materials and photographical family binders downstairs to clear up some closet space, no doubt for Amy's constantly-growing shoe collection.

"You're looking at something that I really didn't want you to see, Eggman. That's _very_ private stuff."

"I'm sorry. Forgive me if I intruded."

"Well, you did, but that's not important right now. We're headed to Angel Island."

"Did you find anything?"

"Yes, but that can wait until I talk to Shadow and Rouge first. I have a theory of what happened here and at their houses, but I would need to add what happened here to what happened at Shadow's place and then Rouge's place to confirm it."

"In that case, let's go."

"Hold on, doc. I need to talk to you about something first, okay?"

"What is it?"

I sighed and said, "Doctor, please listen. With everything that has happened, I have determined that you aren't to blame for what I accused you of, and I'm sorry for doing that. There is no excuse for me jumping to conclusions."

"You lost your family and thought, given our history, that I had done it. Trust me, you irritable pincushion, you had a right mind to think that."

"It's still inexcusable."

"That's B.S., Sonic, and you know it. Please, get to your point."

"Alright. With everything that has happened, there are two things on my mind. The first is our finding our families. The second is finding whoever did this. My money is on this "Genesis" character that we know of, and if he's the mastermind, then he has to be someone high up in G.U.N. if he was able to pull the stings to attack our families _and_ attempt to kill us. I am determined to do whatever it takes to bring down whoever this guy is and see my family again."

"Wait, does that mean-?"

"Please, do not interrupt. Now as I was saying, I'm determined to bring down the guy and see my family again. Shadow and Rouge will no doubt join me on my crusade considering the situation is identical to them… and you. What I'm saying is that I won't be able to do this alone. There's no way in hell that I could. I'm going to need all the help that I can get. That includes Shadow and Rouge, but I'm going to need your help too."

"Me?!"

"Yes, doc, you. You're a part of this now. You and I are after the same thing. We want our families back, and as to what you might have said before I interrupted you… yes, our families are alive."

His face had been in a sad frown for most of the night as was mine, but he finally had something to smile about when he heard my last few words.

"How do you know?" he asked hopefully.

"I'll go into more detail when we get to Angel Island. But before we go, I said that I know you didn't do this and I said that I needed your help. I stand by those statements. Hell, you can put 'em on my tombstone, if you want to. But given our history, I'm less than willing to trust you. If we do this, you follow my lead, you follow Rouge's lead, and you follow Shadow's lead. If we tell you to do something, you do it. If we tell you to get us a tissue so we can blow our nose, you do it. If at any time you do not cooperate with us, that'll be the same time we kiss our families goodbye. If we cannot have our loved ones back because of something that you did wrong, trust me, you will never be ever to forgive yourself for what you did to lose the only family that you have left, Shadow will do lord-knows-what to you if he loses his wife and never gets to see the birth of his child, and if I can't see my Amy and my kids, I promise you, doctor, that I will stop at nothing to make your life a living hell because of your selfishness, but then again, you might want to be in hell if Maria is lost. Now that doesn't apply all to you, specifically. It would apply to Shadow, Rouge, and me too. We're going to need every asset we can get our hands on, and given that you know Genesis the best out of all of us, you are a pretty big asset at the current moment. Is that understood?"

He nodded and said, "Yes."

"There's one last thing I need to hear and see from you."

"And that is…?"

"I need you to take off your glasses, I need you to look me in the eyes, I need you shake my hand, and I need you to give me a reason to trust you. I need to know if you're ready to do this. I need to know if you'll have our backs on this. And when we're done, and we're all back at our homes carrying on with our lives, I need you to promise me that if for some reason you start stirring up trouble again, you go directly to me about it. You will not use any of my friends to get to me, and you will _definitely_ not use my family to get to me. Because if you endanger my friends or my family, I will see to myself that you get put 6' under. If you have a problem with me, you go to me, not my friends to give you some edge, because you're not going to live through it if you do. Do I make myself clear?"

He nodded. "Crystal."

"I need your trust and I need your word, Eggman. Do I have it?"

He plucked off his glasses and put them in a pocket on his red jacket. He walked up to me and offered his right hand, looking me dead in the eyes as he did it. I looked at his body language and I saw determination. I saw anger. And I saw a certain fire getting stoked. "You have my word, Sonic."

I looked at the hand and then back at his eyes. That fire was one I had seen and experienced time and time again when I went on to save the day. With my right hand, I shook his hand, jerking it once and looking him dead in the eyes.

"You have my word."

I nodded and smiled. "Good. Now that that is settled, it's time for us to leave. Grab my arm," I said offering my right arm. He grabbed it, and with my left hand, I pulled out the three Chaos Emeralds that I had and gave one to him. The other two were in my hands. "You ready?"

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner I get to see my cousin."

"I like your attitude, doc. We're gonna need it. Alright. CHAOS CONTROL!"

With a bright flash, we warped to the familiar floating island at the top of the Shrine of the Master Emerald. The giant jewel was not stolen. Even without its guardian, it still shined bright in the pitch black night. He let go of my arm and we descended the stone stairs and saw a once-friendly house that was now plagued with broken windows and a forced-open front door. The M.O. for the home invasions was on par so far.

Looking into the house gave me a bad flashback to what I had seen at my own abode. Gas canisters on the floor, scenes of a brawl… yep, the M.O. was definitely the same. The only difference was that there signs of a brawl outside. But there was a destroyed window that led out to the signs of the struggle. Whether it was Knux or Emma, I don't know, but the fight looked like that it ended out here. I wouldn't put it past ol' Knucklehead to go down swinging like Amy did. Who was I kidding? This was the same echidna I've known for almost twenty years that was always fight first, ask questions never.

"Rouge? Shadow?" I yelled. "Are you guys here?"

"Y-Yes…" Rouge didn't sound too happy. The way her voice sounded, it sounded like she was crying. Trust me, Rouge, I can relate.

The voice came from the nearby jungle which my bat and hedgehog partners walked out of. Jeez, she looked like a wreck. Even Shadow, the broody and stoic one, had red eyes that were from when he was crying over the phone. It broke my heart to see them in the same pain that I was in, but I was bringing good news of great joy that would be for all the people.

"How are you guys holding up?" I asked.

"About as good as you would think," replied Shadow. "You?"

"Let's just say I might have some good news."

"WHAT DO MEAN BY THAT?" Rouge's tone suggested that she was begging and pleading for any kind of good news. Judging by her eyes too, that was the case.

"Well, let's try and get comfortable first." I saw a fire pit next to us. "Tell ya what, I'll start up a fire so we can try to relax and calm down, okay?" They nodded. I went to the wood stack that resided a few yards from the pit and the large logs which surrounded the pit for sitting. I brought over five logs at a time and set them up, keeping an eye on my partners. "Worse for wear" was an understatement when it came to describing them.

Once I had enough logs, Eggman asked, "So how are you going to light them?"

"Like this." I grabbed two logs and used my super-fast arms to rub them together. Within seconds, they lit up and I put them back in quickly. The wood was very dry, as the other bits of firewood caught pretty soon.

"Alright, faker, you've got your fire, now tell us what you've got."

"First, let me hear what you guys have to say. What did you guys find?"

"I already told you what I saw, faker!"

"But did you find anything else after your call?"

"No. Not even a bullet hole." Rouge gasped. Way to go, Sir Broods-a-lot. You've put the image of one of our friends or family-members being shot (probably through the skull) into her head, because of terrible word choice. Unsurprisingly, she slapped Shadow hard on the cheek and began weeping bitterly again. I got off my log and put my arms around her, trying to get her to calm down, while I gave Shadow a death stare for using the wrong wording. "Perhaps I used worded that wrong."

"YA THINK?!" she screamed.

"Calm down, Rouge. Try to get it out of your head. Shadow, continue. And this time, _watch what you say_ ," I hissed.

"I'm sorry, Rouge. I didn't find anything else. Not a trace of any kind of evidence that might give us a clue."

"Hmm. Interesting. Rouge, what about you?"

"N-No-Nothing here either. *SOB* They didn't take the Master Emerald. ALL THEY TOOK WAS MY KNUCKLES AND MY EMMA! *SOB* Where are they, Sonic?! Where are they?!" Her questions were cries for help. I kept trying to comfort her, but it didn't seem to work. If she could have one thing, it'd be Knuckles' arms around her to calm her down. "I want my family back, Blue. I want them to see them. I _NEED_ TO SEE THAT THEY'RE OKAY."

"I know Rouge, I know. The same thing happened to Amy… and my kids."

"You mean-?"

"Yeah. They're gone too."

"I'm so sorry, Blue."

"Me too, but like I said, I have some good news, but I'll be building up to it."

"Why not just tell us now?!"

"If I did that, I'd be leaving important details out."

"Then what are you waiting for, faker? Tell us!" Shadow barked.

"Okay, okay, calm down. The first thing that we need is a level head. I know it'll be hard to-."

"We get it… NOW CUT TO THE CHASE!" yelled Shadow as he stood up.

"What did I just say about level heads, Shadow?" That shut him up and he went back down onto his log, still fuming. "Thank you. First, from what I have gathered from what Shadow told me about his place, what I've seen here on Angel Island, and what I saw at my house, I have determined a few things. When it comes to how our families were taken, the signs that I've seen and were described to me all scream of the same M.O. First, the invaders threw canisters of tear gas into our homes to discombobulate any people inside. Next, they came into the house by forcing down the doors, trying to surprise their targets amid the gas. From what you've told me and from what I've seen, all of our spouses went down fighting. As for the kids, they probably went down easier than the adults, but some were easier to capture than others. That's not an insult to the kids, it's just facts. But the M.O. for the crimes wasn't the only thing I found the same. The time was also relatively the same. Shadow told me the only thing of Maria's that he found was her watch, which was smashed and it stopped at 10:33 PM. Right, Shadow?"

"Yes, but what's so significant about that?"

"Simple. Amy called me to warn me at 10:37 PM, about fifty hours ago. To me, the times between the smashed clock and Amy's plea for help seemed too close in time to be a coincidence. Hell, what are the odds that just one of our families got attacked? What about all three? What about all three of our families when we were all away? To me, this seems too coincidental, and because of it, it smells rotten.

"Getting back to the attackers, we're talking about groups of people who had the resources to attempt successful raids of our homes. Judging by the amount of home damage here, at my place, and what Shadow described to me, I think the same principle applies. There had to have been more than one attacker. How many is uncertain, but enough to probably break down at least two doors to enter the homes. Given that they each had tear gas canisters and specialized ammunition to take them all down, it's obvious that these people were professionals. They knew what they were doing. They knew their targets and how many of them they had to take down."

"'Specialized ammunition'?" asked Rouge. "Wha-What do you mean?"

"Before I answer that, did either of you two find any forms of ammo?" They shook their heads "no". "Well, _I_ did. I was checking out my kids' rooms for clues. When I was in Desiree's room, I found this." As I said that, I pulled the dart that I had found and gave it to Rouge. Shadow came over to get a look at it in the fire-light that the bonfire was emitting. "Guys, I know which groups of people did this as well as how they did it. Not just how they broke into our homes, but how to take our families down successfully." Rouge's eyes shot up in realization of what she was holding. "Care to take a guess as to what you're holding, Rouge?"

"This is a… is a… WHY?"

"Why a sleeper dart used exclusively by _G.U.N. extraction teams_? Well, I'll tell you."

"Wait," began Shadow, "if this is a sleeper dart, then-."

"I think you've got it too, Shadow. I asked myself why a G.U.N. tranquilizer dart would be found in Desi's room. Assuming that the M.O.'s are still the same across the board, the times of the attacks were all at the same time, and because I found and know that dart, I have successfully determined that this was the kind of ammunition used in the attacks. I mean, why would I say that a tranq would be used exclusively for my daughter? Why not my other daughter, my son, or even Amy? To go one step further, why not use it on each of our families?"

"Wait… does that mean what I think it means?!"

"Yes, Rouge," I said with a sigh and smirk. "Our families are _ALIVE_."

They faces lit up as the tears of sorrow that flowed minutes ago now turned to tears of joy at my wonderful news. Rouge got up and hugged me, given that I gave her the best news of the day. Shadow cried softly by himself cross-armed, giving me a two-fingered salute with his right hand. Eggman smiled warmly. I had already told him, and he sat on the log, probably feeling like he was walking on clouds. That's how it was for another minute or two.

"Wait, faker," began Shadow, "If you're saying that our families are alive, then why did G.U.N. take them? We all know that G.U.N. extraction teams are the only people on the planet who use those darts for their missions of capture. So why did they do it in the first place? Why take our families?"

Rouge stopped hugging me and backed away silently, vexed by Shadow's words. "That's a good point," she said. "Why?"

"It does raise that question, doesn't it? First, let's look at the facts. We know that our families are alive, but were taken away for some reason. The reason itself is unclear, and we're not going to get to that question answered for a while. But let's look a few different angles.

"First off, whoever Genesis is, he's the one behind this. And who better than to answer a few questions about him than the man he broke out of prison?" We all turned to Eggman. "The doc has agreed to work under us and do anything we ask him… because he knows what'll happen if he doesn't. Right, doc?"

"Yes."

"Alright, why don't you tell us how this all got started. Begin with your escape."

"Very well. Ten days ago, I was asleep in my cell when I was woken up by a loud blast. I woke up to see that my cell door had been blown opened, and two guards had come in, grabbing a hold of me, and saying that I needed to go with them. They took my by the arms and escorted me out amid the gunfire of the other guards. My captors were very experienced with guns."

"Were they guards of the prison themselves?" I asked.

"Yes. They had the uniforms and everything." That matched what I saw in the escape video from when I was at the White House the other day. "Eventually, they were able to get me out of the prison and they threw me onto a helicopter. Soon after, they stuck a needle in me and I passed out. When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in a dark room with concrete walls and only a large-screen TV that I was facing. When it came on, Genesis' silhouette came up. He said that he orchestrated my escape and claimed that we both shared something: a hatred of _you_ , Sonic. He went on to say that he broke me out to give me a proposition."

"Let me guess," began Shadow. "Kill us."

"No, he said that he wanted Sonic dead. _Really dead_. And admittedly, I sympathized with him. No offense, Sonic."

"With you, doc, I expect nothing less."

"I was reluctant to accept his offer, so I asked if there was a catch. It was there I knew that I had made a mistake."

"Maria?" Shadow asked darkly.

"Yes. He promised that if I did not kill Sonic for him, harm would come to her. Maria's the only family I have left, and I did everything to bring her back. Topped off with the fact that a week before my breakout she told she was pregnant… I couldn't let any kind of harm happen to her, but even if I had accepted, I didn't trust him to keep his word. So I had to say 'yes' to his offer. After that, a guard entered my room and Genesis said that he had everything I would need in the Shamarian deserts. He also said that he would make sure he would personally send Sonic to me, because if I was involved, Sonic would have no choice but to go after me. Once I got there, I found all kinds of equipment. The Ultra-Hyper Prototype-2 and its power source."

"The Chaos Emeralds," stated Rouge.

"Yes. Three days later, I was informed that we had an intruder. Shadow was sent in to take me down first, and we captured him. When I found that the henchmen they gave me a captured Shadow. I went to Genesis and told him that Shadow wasn't part of the deal. He stated that Shadow would be insurance, a bargaining chip to make sure that Sonic would come. I was going to argue more, but he threatened Maria's life again, so I had to do what he said. 'Kill Sonic and whoever gets sent along with him,' were his exact words."

"So he made sure that I would be killed too."

"Yes, Rouge. I sat in waiting for nearly a week, waiting and waiting. While I was alone, I thought up a scheme to get Sonic to help me. Even if Maria was in danger, I knew that Sonic would be able to help me and save Maria in the process, so I had to take that chance."

"So you orchestrated the faker's escape?"

"Yes, Shadow. I knew that when we would have him locked up, it would only be a matter of slipping him the key to his cell and then let the dominoes fall for his victory over me. However, I still had to make it a convincing fight. You broke the Emeralds out of my vessel, you defeated me, and I fled, goading Sonic into chasing me since I needed to talk to him about what happened."

"And then Shadow choked you out."

"Yes, Sonic; thanks for reminding me," he spat. "When I awoke on the beach after that plane crash, I was about to explain, but Sonic went ballistic and took me away to his house to see what 'I had done'. And now we're here."

"Is there anything else you remember?"

"One other thing. This Genesis person is something else. He's nuts. The way he had been talking to me about you, Sonic… jeez. I thought Amy had it out for you-."

" _Eggman_ …," I growled.

"I'm just making a point, Sonic. It was the only one I could think of!" He coughed to clear his voice. "As I was saying, I thought Amy had it out for you, Sonic, at least she was only after marriage and maybe a child or two. But Genesis… yikes! He even went as far as saying that he wanted you dead more than I could ever dream of. 'I want my dead parents to be more alive than Sonic,' was something I specifically remembered him saying."

"I don't suppose he told you who he is?"

"All I got was the same silhouette every time I talked to him. I never saw his face. He didn't go any further into his plan, either. He just wanted you dead. And now Maria's still gone."

"Eggman, by the time we got to Shamar, Maria and our families were already captured. There wasn't a thing any of us could have done. It was a 'Catch 22'." He nodded, but his expression was still sad. "Thank you, doctor. Now as for what we know about Genesis, we know that because he is powerful enough to be able to send us on suicide missions and have pilots that were meant to kill us on that plane ride home. Let's face it guys, we were never meant to return home alive. We also know that if he threatened Maria's life, and went on to do it anyway, and because all the kidnappings are connected by the same M.O., we know that this psycho is definitely someone high-up somewhere in G.U.N.'s food chain. So Rouge, Shadow, you might be able to answer my next question. Who in G.U.N. has the kind of power to send us on missions that we weren't supposed to come back from, obtain the Chaos Emeralds from underneath everyone's noses, and send out three extraction teams to take away our families among other things?"

The two pondered my question, looking away from me and putting their hands to their muzzles in deep thought. "I can think of a one person," said Rouge.

"Is that person the-?"

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, hedgehog, then let me prove you wrong! Why would he send out extraction teams to kidnap his best friend?! It doesn't make sense!"

"Rouge, someone as high up as him has to be the brains of this whole shindig. In fact, there's really no one else that I can think of who could fit the bill."

"If that's the case, then I'll show that traitor to ruin my life and his best friend's!"

"Shadow, chill out!"

"With my wife gone, faker?! How do I know she's not dead?!"

"My reasoning should spell it out nicely that she isn't!"

"And if she is dead?! Enough of this! I'm going straight to him!" Shadow whipped out the two Emeralds he had.

"NO!" I lunged at him and knocked the magical jewels from his hands and pinned him to the ground. "SHADOW, YOU ARE NOT THINKING STRAIGHT! YOU NEED TO KEEP A LEVEL HEAD! YOU GOT THAT? WE _ALL_ NEED TO KEEP A LEVEL HEAD! THE MINUTE WE DO SOMETHING STUPID, LIKE GO IN GUNS-BLAZING AND DOING SOMETHING THAT WE ARE NOT PREPARED FOR, THAT IS THE SAME TIME THAT WE CAN KISS OUR FAMILIES 'GOOD-BYE'! I AM NOT LETTING MY FAMILY DISAPPEAR FROM MY LIFE BECAUSE OF SOMETHING STUPID THAT YOU DID, AND SOMETHING TELLS ME YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT MARIA! _WE ARE A TEAM!_ AND LIKE IT OR NOT, SHADOW, NONE OF US CAN DO THIS ALONE! NOT ME, NOT EGGMAN, NOT ROUGE, AND NOT YOU! I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT OUR FAMILIES AND OUR CHILDREN ARE ALIVE, AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I CAN'T SEE THEM AGAIN BECAUSE OF SOMETHING STUPID THAT ONE OF US DID! IF ONE OF US FAILS, WE ALL FAIL. THERE ARE NO 'IF'S, AND'S, OR BUT'S' ABOUT IT. NOW I AM GOING TO NEED YOUR HELP SO THAT I CAN RESCUE MY WIFE AND KIDS. I'M GOING TO NEED ROUGE'S HELP. I'M GOING TO NEED EGGMAN'S HELP. I'M GOING TO NEED _YOUR_ HELP, SHADOW. AND YOU KNOW JUST AS WELL AS I DO THAT YOU'RE GONNA NEED _MY_ HELP TO SEE MARIA AGAIN. WE NEED A PLAN FIRST. THERE WILL NONE OF THIS LONE RANGER BULL-CRAP!"

I finished my rant and looked him dead in the eyes. "I need you to trust me, Shadow. I need you to have faith. Not just in me, not just in you, but faith that Maria is alive; that all our families are alive. Can you do that?"

He threw me off of him, got up, and said, "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" I smiled as he helped me up. "So, what's our next first move, faker?"

They looked at me as if I was their newly-appointed leader. I chuckled. Well, it was a role I fulfilled well in the past. This was my ego talking, but who else would the people turn to with so much on the line?

"To set the record straight, if we do this, we do this as a team. Got it?" They all nodded at the same time. "Alright then."

"What's our first move?" Shadow asked again.

"I have one idea." I reached down to pick up the Emeralds that Shadow had dropped. "I was thinkin' that we'd start with where these jewels were taken from." The faces of Rouge and Shadow turned sour.

"So let me get this straight," Rouge started, "you want us to break into one of the world's most secure buildings just to see where the Emeralds were held?"

"Yep! I assume that there are security cameras down in the depths of Guardian Mountain?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Simple. Before we can start accusing anybody of doing anything, we need some more evidence than what we've got. All we have is a highly-supported theory and a single tranquilizer dart used by G.U.N. only. That alone is a good start, so why not go to G.U.N. headquarters and find some security footage of the Emeralds getting swiped? Besides, what better place to search for evidence than evidence lock-up?" My idea was crazy, but then again, if we're going to pull this off, we'd need crazy, and the group smiled at my idea.

"Got any ideas on how to get down there, faker?"

"Well, with a little Chaos Control…"

"NO!" said Rouge and Shadow at the same time.

"What? Why?"

"First off, that plan is as bad as Shadow's plan to go in half-cocked just a minute ago. Secondly, we can't just use the Emeralds to warp down there and warp back out, Blue," said Rouge.

"Why not? I'm not following your logic… and how is it just as bad as Shadow's idea?"

"Oh, that's right. This happened after you left."

"What happened after I left? You aren't making a lick of sense."

"Remember Mackenzie?"

"The guy who presided over your wedding, Rouge? Yeah, I remember Mack."

"Well, about a year ago, Shadow and Mack got into verbal scuffle at the H.Q. building, and it led to Mr. Ultimate Lifeform over here to shoot a Chaos Spear at Mack. It missed, but it sent the whole building into a tizzy. Poor Shadow over here got suspended for three months, and Mack was transferred out of the building."

"What does Shadow's bad anger management tactics have to deal with me not using Chaos Control?"

"After the incident," Shadow began, ignoring my comment, "the whole building was retro-fitted with technology that tapped into the power of Chaos."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning that any kind of use of Chaos Energy inside the building will result in the energy getting bounced back at the one who tried to dish it out, hurting them in the process. Trust me, I had to be the guinea pig for it, and it works… too well. So for example, you could get into the building using Chaos Control, but the sensors would pick up on that, and if you were to try and get out, the power that you would have used for the act would bounce back at you, painfully."

"Can you vouch for him, Rouge?" She nodded. "Jeez, that's so convenient that it sounds like a badly-implemented fan-fiction plot device. Okay, so how are we supposed to get in? They think that we're dead, so walking in the front door is out of the question, especially when someone of high governmental power tried to off all of us."

"I have one idea."

"Do tell, batgirl."

"It's better to show you guys. Follow me."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _'... a badly implemented fan-fiction plot device'? It's times like this where I think that Sonic knows he's a part of a fan-fiction story!_

 _Look at the chapter's title again, and if you've played GTA V, ending the game with its "Deathwish" ending, then you should know this song. And in terms of what's going on for Sonic and company, then the lyrics (as few as there are) fit the situation they find themselves in. I'll leave you to looking up the song and read the corresponding lyrics._

 _Now, I know that the info that Sonic brings forward to his comrades is what you read in the last chapter, but he needed to tell his cohorts the details of his findings. So I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself in terms of chapter content._

 _So we're 18 of 24 chapters done, leaving 6 to go and they'll be all uploaded in four weeks after this. The schedule for when they'll be uploaded is:_

 _Ch. 19 – 10/6_

 _Ch. 20 – 10/13_

 _Ch. 21 & 22 – 10/20_

 _Ch. 23 & 24 – 10/27_

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA._


	19. 19: Storage

**Ch. 19: Storage**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

Rouge led us through her ransacked house and took us to the basement door down a hallway. She was leading us down there, and flipped on a light for the stairs. We descended them and turned left into an empty, short hallway that only had one single picture hanging at the end of her and her family.

"Uh, Rouge?" I asked. "There's nothing here."

She smiled at my obvious statement. "Looks can be deceiving." She took the picture off of its wall-mounted hanger and revealed a... wait, was that? It looked like something that one of two circular keys would fit into. "Watch this." She took off her wedding ring and inserted it into one of the slots. Mechanical whirring went on shortly after, catch the rest of us off-guard, even Shadow. The entire wall moved completely away to the left, revealing a set of limestone-carved stairs that were lit up by the kind of lights that you'd see in dark movie theatres as the wall slid away. Egghead, Shadow, and I stood bewildered as I stood with my mouth open like I'd just seen a very hot lady from an old Looney Tunes cartoon. All that was missing was the accompanying anvil sound-effect that would've played the moment my jaw hit the ground and the corresponding wolf whistle.

"Follow me." We all did so, walking slowly down the staircase, but what I saw next blew my mind even more. I knew from my adventure on Angel Island all those years ago that the floating isle had an intricate cave system, but these caves were decked out with every kind of technological device imaginable. It had a large computer, a separate wall of firearms, vehicles hanging from the cavern ceiling by cables, and lord-knows how many other gizmos in the place!

"Uh, Rouge?" I asked for the second time. "Since when do you have all of this?!"

"This cave was something that Knuckie and I found shortly after we broke ground on our house. It runs even deeper into the island itself, but I saw some practicality and potential out of this small section of it."

"Potential for what?" asked Shadow.

"We retrofitted this cave to hold my G.U.N. equipment and mementos from previous missions." She pointed to another section, and we saw a hall of old trophies of sorts, and I recognized a few of the items from my first stint with the agency. Gee, what a packrat.

"Does G.U.N. know about this place?" Shadow asked hesitantly.

"Only the Commander. Hell, he gave me half this equipment behind the agency's back. It's good to have friends in high places."

"Especially when that friend has the means to send out three extraction teams and abduct our families," I dryly retorted.

"Blue, lay off! Why would he do that? It doesn't make sense. Then again, nothing about this does."

"Does that mean you think-?"

"The only thing I'm thinking is that we need to keep an open mind of who else it could be, and if you make another jab at him without solid evidence, I'll throw you off the island." Rouge has said a lot of brutally honest things with me, and this was another case of me completely believing her. The only problem was that the Commander was the only one with the authority to do everything we've seen and witnessed, and she knew that… or maybe I was missing something.

"Besides, faker," said Shadow, "if he had really been thorough with the kidnappings, he would've made sure that this place was destroyed, if we are to use Rouge's logic."

"Good point," I said, "but I'm still not convinced that it wasn't him." Rouge and Shadow gave me glares. Sonic, you need to change the topic in the worst way. "So Rouge, let me get this straight. You're a bat-."

"How very observational of you."

"Ha. So you're a bat who finds a cave underneath her house, has all kinds of specialized equipment brought in, installed said equipment, has vehicles and weaponry up the wazoo, and a trophy collection?! Jeez, the only thing you're missing is the cape and cowl."

"And don't forget the red, yellow, and green sidekick costume," she quipped back. Not to mention a, "Quick! To the batcave!"

She began pressing buttons and putting codes into the large computer. "Got it!"

"You got what?"

"This." With one more button press, the large LED-screen showed us a familiar building residing on top of Guardian Mountain: the pyramid-shaped G.U.N. Headquarters building. "If you want us to check out evidence lock-up, we're gonna need a plan to get in there, and what better way than using the floor-plan for the whole building?"

Us guys all looked at each other and smiled. "Alright, Rouge, what have you got?" I asked.

"Well, the way I see it, the most direct way to the lockup would be the elevator shafts. And that'll take us directly to the basement."

"Seems easy enough."

"Not so fast, faker," said Shadow. "There's still going to be loads of security and cameras to deal with." Why did I have to speak too soon?

"He's right, Blue. Let me show you."

"Yeah, I know; windows are probably riddled with motion sensors, there are probably guards in every room, and those Chaos-energy sensors that you talked about just a minute ago. I understand now that it's not going to be a walk in the park."

"Are you done?" asked Rouge impatiently.

"Yes."

"Now, if you'll just shut your trap for a few seconds, I can go into some specifics."

I gestured her as if to tell me, "the floor is all yours".

"Thank you. Now, you're right in saying that the windows are all rigged to go off even if they're so much as scratched, so that way in is out the window." Cue the rimshot. "So according to the blueprints, our best bet would be through the roof. Now, the roof has 24/7 surveillance with four guardsmen up top with firearms, communicators, cameras, the whole nine yards. If we're doing this, the roof would be our best way in.

"After that, all we need to do is head down through a door and some stairs that'll head into a hallway. We go down over 50 stories in its _camera-free_ shaft straight down to the basement, where there'll be two guards manning the entrance to evidence lockup."

"Like I said, seems easy enough. But what's the catch?"

"The catch is that we'll have to be quick and efficient about the whole thing. If we do it at night, there'll be a much better chance of us getting in and out of there without any problem. If we do it during the day, there'll be loads more people and guards. I advise going tonight for the sake of us wanting to be back with our families A.S.A.P."

"But what about the halls? They'd be lined with security cameras as would the lockup entrance and the roof. So how would we get anywhere without us getting found out?"

"Like this." With another button press, she revealed a large number of computer codes hard at work. Within seconds, hundreds of videos covered the screen. "Built into this computer is Grade-A hacking software which now gives us complete access to every one of the cameras being used at Guardian Mountain." My eyebrows rose in surprise and Eggman's jaw dropped. Shadow simply smirked.

"How did you… How did…?" Okay, if I can't say it, I'll think it: HOW THE HELL DID YOU PULL UP EVERY CAMERA IN THE ENTIRE BUILDING?! "Tails? Did he help you?"

"Yes and no. Sometimes, I have to work from home, so the Commander gave me 24/7 access to the mainframe, but not into the security room. It was just a simple matter of playing around with the tech to be able to hack into it. With this, we can see what every security camera inside the building is displaying. We have a direct feed from the security room at Guardian Mountain, and they don't even know that we can hear and see what they can hear and see. And the best part? We can loop certain visual and audio segments around and around, and they wouldn't know the difference between the loop and the real thing, assuming that the looped feed is void of people walking around the line of sight, which is why I suggest we go at night when it's not as busy. Tails taught me how to loop camera feed." I shook my head in absolute disbelief. She had everything we needed, and I did mean _everything_.

"Alright, so we have the security footage and the route down there, so what else do we need to do?" I asked.

"Simple. If we do this, it would be you, Shadow, and me going to H.Q. with Eggman here controlling the cameras. Eggy, do you know how to work this set-up?"

He stepped forward and inspected the control panel, fiddling with a few buttons, but his grin grew more and more the more he played with his new toy. "You bet I can."

"Good." She shooed the doctor away from the computer and pressed a few buttons, omitting a vast number of security camera angles, but not all of them. With another press, a copy of each feed was put on display.

"What's this?" asked Shadow.

"Call it having a watcher in the wings," Rouge said.

"I don't get it." You said it, Shadow. I don't either.

"What I mean is that each camera angle that we'll need to reference has a copy. One copy is a loop, the other one is the real view. The ones on the left are the looped time frames, whereas the right ones are showing what's actually happening in those lines of sight. If used correctly, we would be able to pass by undetected and not accidentally run into anybody."

"And that's where I come in," said Eggman. "I would be here giving you the green light on whether it would be safe or not to move anywhere. Correct?" Ohhhh, so that's how it works.

"Exactly."

"Quick question," I said. "How are we going to know if Eggman gives us the 'ok' to proceed? We'd have to be wearing some sort of ear-based communicator, right?"

"Yeah. But we'll get to that later. Allow me to address this first." She brought up one of the other views and enlarged it. The angles that were shown pertained to the roof and the security there. "When it comes to the roof, there will always be four armed guards up there at each of the corners, but always switching corners every three minutes. The four-man team will be on the roof for 90 minutes with a different team relieving them when the ninety minutes are up. If we're going to be sneaky, we'd have to hit 'em right after the shift change to maximize the time we'll have to get in and get out. But that's only part of the problem. We've already hacked into the main security room and have access to the footage that they're using. However, they're still going to be wired with communicators. That means we'd need to disrupt their earpieces and speakers so they couldn't cry 'S.O.S.' when we have to engage them."

"And how would we disrupt them?"

"I've got a device for that. Its range includes a 100' radius, and we'll need to use it for the entire trip so they can't bring in any more guards.. well, more than what we'll have to deal with. So with that, here's the plan.

"First, we'll need to make sure the cameras up top are looped into the G.U.N. mainframe so that security doesn't know we're actually there. We'd create the loop here, and then Eggman would feed it into their recordings. Next, the rest of us would airdrop right onto the building, where I'd turn on my jammer so that the guards couldn't give out any kind of warning on their communicators. We would incapacitate them, take a guard's badge and use that to access the building's top floor, the 53rd floor. We'd then wait for Eggman to give us the green light on the cameras, looping that floor's cameras into the security room again, and then we'd hop into the left elevator. Another camera check of the elevator, and we'd go down. In the case of potential people going down with us, we'd get out of the elevator via the top and descend slowly to the bottom floor, where the right elevator will be powered down on the ground floor for the night because the building doesn't have as much traffic going in and out during the middle of the night as opposed to the day. Next, we'd make sure that the camera would be down in the right elevator, gain access to it, make sure the bottom floor's cameras are fed another loop, and access the floor. There'll be two guards guarding the entrance to the lockup. We take them down, use their badges and eyes for retinal scans, and then we'd have access to the entire lockup, making sure that the cameras down there are looped through again. Down there, there's going to be one, count 'em, _one_ guard down there in the middle of the basement keeping track of everything. We would take him down, and then the vaults would be all to ourselves. There are a total of 10 million vaults down there, but since Shadow and I were the ones that put the Emeralds away in the first place, we know that vault #06231991 would have them. All we would need then is to pull out the footage, which is on a platinum disc, and then inspect that disc inside the main room in the lockup, and boom! We'll have our thief and be one step closer to being with our families again."

Eggman, Shadow, and I had hung on every word she had said, and it made perfect sense to me. We all gave each other nods and smiles. However…

"I just two questions, Rouge," I said.

"Shoot."

"First, why can't we just hack the vault's cameras from here? I know you said that they're recording everything onto a disc, but why couldn't we just hack it directly? Second, how would we get out of the building?"

"Well, Sonic, the reason why we can't directly hack it is because it records directly to the disc and nowhere else. Not even the security rooms get that access. The cameras in the vaults are completely hack-proof, even with this technology, so we'd have to go directly to the source to obtain the footage. Sorry to say, but there's no way around it. And to answer your other question, we'd go out the same way we went in. We'd make sure the left elevator is secure, press the button for the top floor, go up top so we don't find any unwanted guests riding with us, make sure the 53rd floor and the roof are camera secure and then we'd fly out on the same plane we will have flown in on."

"Okay. So how are we going to fly in?"

She went to a drawer on the computer and pulled out a switch. "With this." She pressed it, and a whirring sound came from throughout the cave. She directed our attention to the vehicles section of the hideout, and an aircraft had turned on. The aircraft looked like it could hold three people easily, but I was more surprised at the lack of sound that it made.

"The Commander gave me this stealth plane for special missions. It's as black as night, it absorbs the sounds of its environment and then amplifies that sound, it's untraceable by radar, and it has autopilot. When we use it, we'll make sure to have it waiting for us when we leave the building, and make sure it's parked at a safe enough distance where no one's going to discover it accidentally. With how fast this baby can go, from here, it would only take us about twenty minutes to get to G.U.N. HQ."

"Wow." Impressive.

"We would suit up in there, and be at HQ before you know it."

"What about time? If it's about," let me check my clock…, "1:10 AM now, what time would be the next time that the roof guards would change posts?"

"Shifts are ninety minutes, as I said earlier, the HQ building follows the same time zone that we are currently in, and shift intervals are at 12 AM, 1:30 AM, 3 AM, 4:30 AM, etc. So if we move quickly, we should be able to have just under an hour and a half to get in and get out. So, if there are any more questions…?" We were all onboard for it, so why wait any longer? "None? Good. Alright, let's grab our gear and head out."

We scoured the cave finding the equipment we needed. Rouge had kept three all-black suits that covered our entire bodies and the hedgehogs' quill patterns nicely, as well as one tailored for her. They were custom-made for each one of us. I guess that Rouge had kept an old stealth suit of mine maybe for nostalgic reasons or on the off-chance that I joined back up and needed it. Whatever the reason was, I was glad for it. It still fit nicely, and the mask covered my face, only showing my eyes.

We grabbed other bits of equipment too. Guns and ammo for Shadow and Rouge, grapple guns, tactical boots, night-vision googles, smoke pellets, oxygen tanks and masks specially designed for high-altitude jumps, and the emergency parachutes were already on the plane, according to Rouge.

She helped Eggman quickly with the surveillance systems and he was all good to go. A large door on the underside of the floating island had opened up for us. No doubt it would be how we got in and out of the island. With everything set up, we embarked on our next step to finding our families. I hoped that they would be there, but I knew the HQ building was never designed to house multiple parties of people (despite it being a 53-story building…). Single inmates for interrogation, yes, but not entire families or groups of people. They'd need more containment cells for that. I hope Amy and the kids aren't in some dark and dank cell right now.

Before I knew it, we were told by Rouge that we were two minutes out. I got up from my seat and stretched as much as I could before our airdrop. One last back crack… *CRACK*, one last crack of the knuckles… *CRACK CRACK*, and finally the neck… *CRACK*, and now I'm ready to go.

"Time is currently 1:41 AM, so they are eleven minutes into their shift. My comms disruptor will only work for the G.U.N. guardsmen, not us. Speaking of which, do your comms work?"

"Can you hear me now?" I asked into mine.

"Check," replied Shadow and Rouge into theirs.

"Doctor," started Rouge, "are we secure on visuals and audio for the roof?"

"Yes," I could hear him say through my earpiece.

"Good. Alright, boys, suit up." It didn't take long for us to put on our diving equipment and test our oxygen supply. We are good to go, batsy. "Alright, when we arrive, we need to take out the guards A.S.A.P. Got it?" Shadow and I nodded. "I've set the plane to autopilot. When we're done, I'll call for it up top. Let's go, boys."

A mechanical whirring occurred and the large back door to the plane opened. Rouge was the first to run out, then Shadow, and then me. We were coming in a torrid pace, yet still thousands of feet from our destination. I tried my best to ignore the adrenaline rushing through my systems because of the event and breathed normally.

"How are you boys doing?" asked Rouge through our communicators.

"Fine," said Shadow.

"Ditto," I said.

"Alright, the disruptor is working just fine, and we're closing in. Deploy parachutes!" Simultaneously, all three of us put them to use, and the sudden falling was replaced with easy gliding. We couldn't see the building, but we could see it helicopter pad's lights clear as day. "We're going to land on the helicopter pad, alright?"

"Copy," both Shadow and I said. We had a natural advantage. On Angel Island, the moon was shining brightly during the clear-skied night. But here on the mountain, there was an immense cloud-cover over the entire mountain range. We were within a thousand feet, and we steered toward the building. The soldiers couldn't see us because of that cloud cover.

We landed as silently as we could, and quickly lost our equipment. Time to go to work.

The guards were stirring a bit. We used the cloud-cover to our advantage and quickly moved through it. One of the guards tried to radio in, but since he kept calling for help, I assumed that Rouge's jammer was working perfectly. Swiftly, we made our ways behind a few of the guards and silently incapacitated them like Batman in the Batman: Arkham videogames. With three down and one to go, Rouge finished the last one off and took his badge. After that, we took the four guards, tied them up, and gagged them so they couldn't go anywhere or alert anyone, even if they wanted to.

We arrived at the door where Rouge contacted Eggman. "Are we clear to enter the next level?"

"Hold on. There's one person… and he went into another room. You are clear."

"Good. We have seventy-five minutes until the shift change. Let's move." She swiped the badge and we went it, shutting the door silently. We moved down a flight of small stairs and silently opened the door to the 53rd floor. Upon confirming that the coast was clear, we stepped out with Rouge on point, silently down the hallway to the elevator, which Shadow called.

"Elevator clear, doc?" she whispered.

"Yes. It's on the 42nd floor now…, 45th, 49th, and now it's here."

The elevator dinged and we accessed it. With a press of "B" for basement, the doors shut and we quickly escaped out the top, shutting the hatch door silently to wipe away any potential suspicion. I looked over the ledge and found a very, _very_ long drop. First step's a big one!

"Okay, Rouge," I began quietly, "how do we get down?"

"Simple." She fluttered a few feet above us, and kept her distance relative to us as the elevator went down. "Fly formation." Just like the days of the Metal Overlord. The elevator stopped, and Rouge almost hit the top. Had she done it, we would've been compromised due to the sound of impact. She mouthed to us to grab on. I grabbed her ankles and she lifted herself higher so Shadow could hold my ankles. I didn't feel a thing considering my legs were as strong as ever, even with Mr. Grumpypants hanging from them. I could only imagine what Rouge had to feel like with two hedgehogs on her legs. Then again, she was able to carry Shadow _and_ a heavy E-123 Omega all that distance back in the day in the exact same formation, so I figured that she could hold us easily.

The elevator began to descend again, and she jumped off the ledge down the many stories. She fluttered for a few moments on the way down to stop her momentum. Had she not done been doing that, I had no doubt that we would've splattered all over the shaft in a bloody mess. Uh… that sounded a lot dirtier than it should have. The 25th floor, 20th, 15th, 10th, 5th, and finally the basement. She floated softly onto the top of the elevator that was stationary throughout the night.

"You okay?" I asked softly.

"Please, I had to carry Shadow and Omega all that distance years ago. You guys are a walk in the park." IS SHE READING MY MIND OR SOMETHING THAT SHE SAID ALMOST THE EXACT SAME THING I THOUGHT OF JUST A MINUTE AGO? "Elevator clear, doc?"

"Yes."

"And the basement floor?"

"Just the two guards. And the other elevator is still on the 39th floor. You are clear to engage."

"Copy." I lifted the elevator's hatch door and we went in. We returned power to the right elevator and pressed the "Open Door" button. The door dinged. It must have sparked the two guards' curiosities, because we heard them converse a bit on the issue. Time to go. The door opened, and I went first, using my speed to quickly disarm the two and throw their weapons aside. Shadow and Rouge followed and endured a brief scuffle before bashing the guards' heads together. I saw the guards' foreheads get smashed into each other and winced at their pain. To no surprise, it put them under and they flopped to the floor humorously.

"Ow, that hurt _me_ ," I joked. My cohorts took their badges and swiped them into the door's security system. They opened their eyes for a retinal confirmation, and we were granted access. Jackpot. Then they tied and gagged the two like the ones on the roof and set them far from the door.

"Let's go," said Shadow.

We ran through the door down a long hallway that had a single door with a simple digit-pad on it. Rouge stepped up and put in a four-digit pass code into the door, allowing her admittance.

"We good for the next room, Eggman?"

"There's just the lone guard in the center room. No one else."

"Good. Alright, let's continue."

She opened the door to reveal another elevator. We stepped in and pressed the button to descend deeper into the mountain. Something didn't seem right. Not a single camera visible in the room. Rouge never mentioned another elevator, and neither did Shadow, but then again, they did know this place better than I did, and I had never actually gone into the evidence lockup vaults when I worked for G.U.N. in the first place.

"Alright, this elevator is transporting us directly to the central room, and there'll be one guard down there. He'll be right through the door when we arrive, so look alive." You don't have to tell me twice.

The door dinged. The door opened, revealing the lone guard jamming out with some big headphones in his ears, completely unaware of our presence. I stepped quietly behind him and grabbed him, ripping him off his chair and his headphones. With one punch to the skull from Shadow, he was out cold.

"We have complete access to the vault system," stated Shadow.

"Good, that means we can lose the masks," stated Rouge. With that, we took them off. "Okay, as I said earlier, the Chaos Emeralds were put into vault #06231991. Shadow, go to the vault and pick out the surveillance footage."

He nodded and zoomed away. "Hey Rouge," I began, "how does his system of vaults work? I assume they have to be numerically ordered."

"The vault system has ten sections, each section containing 1 million vaults. Section 1 begins with vault #00000001 through 01000000, Section 2 is #01000001 through 02000000, and so on and so forth. Shadow went to Section 7, where our more valuable evidence pieces are held. It's for the stuff that's more supernatural than anything else."

"And how fitting that the _seven_ Emeralds should be in Section _7_."

"Yeah, I thought about how appropriate it was too when I put 'em in the first time."

"Rouge, faker, I'm at the vault," Shadow said over the comms.

"Alright. Put in the code, and bring us that disc."

"On it."

"What would the passcode be?" I asked.

"It's simple. The codes are all eight-digit codes, and the key for every vault is simple." Rouge's redundant statements are redundant. "Since every vault number has eight digits, the passcode for each vault is the vault number, except backwards. So vault #06231991's passcode would be 19913260. Simple, easy to remember." Hmm. Not a bad system, but it means that anyone who knew that could access them and obtain its contents. Huh. Irony's got a funny way of rearing its ugly head, doesn't it?

"Rouge, we have a problem." Shadow says what?!

Rouge and I exchanged a look as if to say, "Oh, this can't be good".

"What is it, Shadow?" asked Rouge with a hint of concern in her voice.

"There are _Emeralds_ in the vault."

"WHAT?!" we screamed.

"That's impossible!" I said. "We have 'em back at Angel Island!"

"You think I don't know that, faker?!"

"Alright, you two! Calm down!" Rouge interjected.

"Rouge, is there any way to get into the vault to make sure he's telling the truth?" I asked impatiently.

"You can't take my word for it, faker?!"

"What did I tell you two?!" She groaned in frustration. "Yes, there's a second camera in the vault-."

"And why couldn't you hack into that before?"

"Two reasons, Mr. Impatient-pants. One, the one is for recording surveillance and is HACK-PROOF from the outside, and two, that's just for casual surveillance; it doesn't record into anything, and like the recording camera in there, is HACK-PROOF from the outside."

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" I said. "Now we-!"

SLAP!

Her hard strike sent me back a few steps as I rubbed my left cheek over and over again.

"Would you calm down, Sonic?!"

"Did you slap him, Rouge?"

"Yes, Shadow." Oh, yeah, Shadow, snicker over the communicator while you can… "Now, if you're done yelling, I said that it was hack-proof from the outside. But now, we're on the inside."

She began typing away into a nearby keyboard and accessed the camera from the vault. She put it on the big screen, and there we saw Shadow and seven gems that shouldn't be there.

"See? Now can you calm down?"

"I suppose it'd only be fair."

"Are you two done yet?" asked Shadow annoyingly.

"Yes."

"Good. Now as you can see-."

"Yeah, we know, Shadow," I said. "They're fakes. Now the question is how they got there."

"Or who made them."

"That's not important, Shadow, at least not at the current moment. Are you going to be able to get the disc out of there?"

"Give me a minute." From what we saw on the screen, he was fiddling with something to the left of our line of sight. From the left, we saw a tray for a disc pop out a disc, kinda like what a DVD player would do. Then he grabbed it carefully. "Got it."

"Good work," stated Rouge. "Now it's just a matter of bringing it here."

"On it." He slammed the door shut and made his way to the central room, where he walked in and handed me the disc. "We really need to work on that short temper of yours, faker."

"Look who's talking."

"If you boys are done?" She stretched out her arm and opened her hand, wanting the platinum disc. I gave it to her, and she threw it into a disc-playing system. After a moment or two, she was able to access its contents. "Now, if Eggman was broken out a week-and-a-half ago, then let's back up, say two weeks, just to make sure we can catch the theft."

"How much time to do we have, Rouge?"

"Sixty minutes. A-ha… here it is. I'll fast-forward it." She did so with a press of a button. "Are you getting this on your end, Eggman?"

"Indeed."

The tape began playing a few scenes at a fast pace for the first few days, but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. We all watched closely as the time from eleven days ago rolled on, but there wasn't anything. But then there was. Just for a frame, there was a blip of static, and then another one almost directly after it. After that, I saw out-of-order colors.

"Pause," I said. Rouge did so. "Rewind it. I saw some static."

"Okay." She began the process and there were the two blips again. "Stop. Now play it again in real time." She nodded and did so.

"What are you looking for exactly with the static?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's something we can use." The part of the first static came up and then a minute and fifty-three seconds later, it returned. The time frame? Eleven days ago. "Roll it back again and play it in slow motion. I saw something."

"What do you think you saw?"

"There wasn't any static interference in the video up until that point, the exact same day when Eggman was broken out of prison if not only mere hours before. If that doesn't peek your curiosity, then look at the Emeralds. The seven jewels were out of order _after_ the static interference."

"Faker's onto something, Rouge," said Shadow. " Do it."

She nodded, albeit unconvinced of what I said, but she did it anyway. "Go frame-by-frame." She pressed "play" on it and began the slow process. Right as the static came on, there seemed to be something moving in amongst the static, almost like the figure of a man. Shadow and Rouge saw it too, and they now knew why I asked for it to be stopped. For the next few frames, it looked like the figure had opened up the safe, but then it cut back to its base form where it showed the jewels in the same order. However, it wasn't until the second blip of static that I saw something wrong: the fake emeralds were put in in the wrong order.

They were initially set up in a hexagon, six on the edges, and the last one in the middle. In the middle was the blue gem, and from the angle which we had, in terms of direction, the white emerald was behind it, and then it went cyan, yellow, green, red, and purple in a clockwise fashion. However, after the second static blip, the fakes were in the right spot, except for the blue and cyan ones, which had switched places. We sped it up to reach the other end of the static, and we went back to frame-by-frame. In amongst that heap of messy images, it looked like the vault was getting shut.

"Someone tampered with the disc," I said. "The fakes weren't put back in the order they were found, and I take it that you saw the figure in the static?"

"How did you notice that?!" asked a bewildered Rouge, probably thinking that I had the eyes of a hawk for seeing something in the microseconds of static.

"I didn't see the man at first, Rouge, I saw the fake emeralds and the static. Is there any way we can clean up that bit of video? Maybe even get some audio?"

"These videos are void of audio, but a visual will be just fine for what we're after," said Rouge. "Maybe we can catch a break and see the face of who swiped them in the first place."

"And the video cleanup?"

"We don't have the technology in this room to do it, but I do have it back at the cave. Just let me send it to there." With a few button presses… "Done. Is it coming up on your end, doctor?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Command the computer to clean up the video frame-by-frame. It'll take a few minutes, but we should have it cleaned up with the right forensic software from on the other end."

"Give me a minute… and… it's running now."

"Okay, that means we're-."

"UH-OH."

"That didn't sound good, doc," I said. "What's up? Something go wrong?"

"You guys need to get out of there now!"

"Why?" The elevator that had taken us down was going back up top. My eyes widened in utter shock as did the rest of the team's.

"Does that mean-?"

"That someone is coming down here?" finished Shadow. "Yes."

"Is there any other way out?!"

"No. That elevator is the only way we get in or out." Nonononononononono! This wasn't happening! This wasn't happening!

"Looks like we're going down fighting, boys," said Rouge. "Prepare for the worst."

Shadow and I got into position and turned everything in the room off, leaving it pitch black. The elevator began to come back down. Sweat drops of nervousness ran down my face. It was impossible to see who was in the elevator, but it looked like only one person was in it, judging from the silhouette it showed.

It landed, coupled with a loud DING! We hugged the shadows tightly. My partners had their weapons drawn, ready for anything. The doors opened and the light from the movable, vertical room, and the person inside cast a shadow. He walked out cautiously.

"Are you three down here?" Wait… his voice… and how did _he_ know that there were three of us down here?! Screw it!

I jumped out and pinned him down to the ground, knocking away his handgun and sliding it across the floor, where Shadow picked it up. Rouge hit the lights to see who we got. And when we saw who it really was…

"Commander?!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _It's chapters like this that I think the title of the story should be Sonic: Affairs of State, not SonAmy._

 _When I said that one of the inspirations for the second half of the story was Batman, I didn't just throw that out there for the sake of throwing it out there. And as you can see from the first half of the chapter, that is the case._

 _Alright, Batman aside, this chapter was also inspired by another one of my favorites in the media, specifically, TV. The whole scene regarding someone tampering the videotape at the crime scene was something I got from an episode of the American TV show_ _ **N.C.I.S.**_ _It was episode 15 of Season 2, named "Caught on Tape." If you aren't familiar with the episode or show, I encourage you to check it out. Believe me, it's a great show. (New episodes on Tuesday nights at 8/7 Central Standard Time, only on CBS). Sorry for the shameless plug._

 _Also, if you noticed, but doesn't the vault number seem familiar to you? #06231991? It's a date. 06-23-1991, the day that the original_ _ **Sonic the Hedgehog**_ _game came out._

 _Finally, there will be a slight tweak in the schedule. I've posted the last few chapters late on Monday night (some of you may or may not have noticed), and that will be the trend until the end of the story in… *checks calendar* three weeks._

 _The remaining schedule is:_

 _Ch. 20 – 10/12_

 _Ch. 21 & 22 – 10/19_

 _Ch. 23 & 24 – 10/26_

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA._


	20. 20: Executive Orders

**Ch. 20: Executive Orders**

MINUTES AGO

 _***The Commander's POV***_

How? How was it possible? They were the best!

No, it's not possible! There is no way!

Face it, man, they're dead.

No, I can't think that way! Sonic, Rouge, and Shadow… they've been through worse things than a plane crash!

A DAMN PLANE CRASH! Those three deserved to out during an adventure or saving the world. With everything they've all dealt with in life, a plane crash seems like a cheap way to have their lives end.

What am I going to tell Maria? That her husband, the father to her child, is gone?! Tell her that Shadow isn't going to come back?! That he won't be able to protect her anymore?! I don't think I can tell her, but I'll have to, won't I?

You can't honestly believe that they're dead, can you? You said it yourself; they've dealt with so much worse. They aren't dead, and you know it. They've pulled themselves out of worse scrapes than this.

Oh, I don't know what to believe anymore!

The loud telephone rang. It startled me, and then irritated me. I'm mourning; can't I mourn in peace? I jolted back to reality as it was just me in my empty office, late in the night; the night of their deaths.

No, they aren't dead, you just have to have faith. Just like every other person on the planet has faith in him and his friends.

I picked up the receiver and asked, "What is it?" through my sadder tone of voice.

"Sir, we have an anomaly inside the facility in the basement inside the elevator leading to evidence lockup."

"What kind of anomaly are we talking about?"

"We have footage of intruders in the elevator leading down there." Great. Wonderful, even! First, my best friend's husband and his team die in a plane crash, and now there's trouble down there!

I groaned in frustration. "Do we have a live feed in that elevator?"

"It's not live anymore, but we still have a recording of it that we can show it on your screen."

"Put it up." The flat screen television I had in my office turned on, the footage was shown, and… no… is that…? Their faces were completely covered by black masks, but not their eyes. Three anthropomorphic animals; one bat, and two hedgehogs. I knew those quill patterns like the back of my hand. The bat had the biggest ears of all of them and had teal eyes, one of the hedgehogs had his quills all down matched with green eyes, and the other had some of his quills up and sported red eyes. It's… it's… it's them! They're alive! THEY'RE ALIVE!

"When was this taken?!" I asked feverishly.

"Just a minute ago, sir."

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"No, sir. Not yet, anyway. We were going to tell you first, and then ask if you'd want us to send a team down there to deal with them."

"NO! I mean, I'll go down there."

"Sir, what are you-?"

"Quiet, son. You tell our men to stay put and await further instruction. Let me deal with these 'intruders'. Your orders are to do nothing else until I tell you otherwise. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. I'm on my way down now."

I grabbed a small firearm for good measure and headed out the door, calling for the elevator. How did they survive? Wait, this was Sonic and company, they've been neck-deep in bigger instances of trouble before. I knew it! I knew they weren't dead! I knew it!

The elevator came and took me down to the bottom floor. When I got out, the two guards that were supposed to be there were further away from the door, gagged, tied up, and blocking the emergency exit stairs. I swiped my badge and gave a retinal scan and was granted access. Whereas two would be needed to open that door, it only took my one for me because of my higher position within the organization. I walked in and called for the elevator by putting in the four-digit passcode: 2-0-0-4. It came up to me after a few seconds, and I punched the button to go down.

A few emotions ran through my system as I descended further into the mountain. First and foremost was joy. I was torn between believing them to be gone and if they were alive. Now I knew the truth. Now I wouldn't have to give Maria that phone call. But there was also confusion. Why were they here? Why didn't they contact us after the accident? Their crash was hours ago. My few questions could only be answered by them and them alone.

The elevator stopped and opened its doors, revealing a lightless room. Where was the guard? Probably out for the count if the three were down here. And why the pitch-black darkness? I drew my weapon slowly and stepped out. The only light in the room was from the lights of the elevator, casting a shadow of me on the floor in front of me. "Are you three down here?"

 _***Sonic's POV***_

Wait… his voice… and how did _he_ know there were three of us down here?! Screw it. I jumped out and pinned him down to the ground, knocking away his handgun and sliding it across the floor, where Shadow picked it up. Rouge hit the lights to see who we got. And when we saw who it really was…

"Commander?!" The look on his face was surprised, but joyful. Allow me wipe it clean off on behalf of my wife and kids.

"I knew you weren't dead!" My right hand made its way to his throat and pinned it more to the ground. He struggled to breathe as my grip increased slowly, and my fur began turning black once again. "So-Sonic, *COUGH* what are you d-doing? *COUGH*"

"You piece of sh-!"

"Sonic! Let him go!" Rouge cried.

"QUIET, ROUGE! Now… where are our families, Commander?"

"Wha-wha-what are you…?"

"Don't play dumb! WHERE'S MY WIFE? WHERE ARE MY KIDS?! TELL ME NOW!"

"Sonic, if he did it at all, he can't say jack until you lose your grip on his throat!" I hated it when she was right.

I released my hold, but my hands went straight to his jacket, pulling him off the ground as he gasped for air. "NOW TELL ME; WHERE ARE THEY?" Shadow clocked me right in the muzzle sending me back a few steps, and because of it, releasing my hold on my old boss. "Shadow, what was that for?!"

"You are out of control, faker! What happened to you when you said that we needed to keep level heads?! You are acting out of rage, and that's only going to jeopardize our families' lives. Now stand down!" I demonically growled, but I finally recaptured my cool, but my fur color was still a deep navy blue.

"Now if we're all done killing each other…" DON'T TURN YOUR HEAD TOWARDS ME AND LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, ROUGE. I KNOW, I SCREWED UP. NOW QUIT RUBBING IT IN. "Boss, how did you know we were down in here in the first place?"

It took him a minute to answer, given that I cut off his oratory abruptly a second ago. But he eventually forced out, "The… elevator."

"What about-?" Rouge stopped dead in her tracks and shot her eyes up. Jeez, you'd think she'd just seen a ghost.

"Rouge, what's up?" asked Shadow. She slapped herself on the forehead, and then threw her fist into a nearby metal wall in frustration. "Rouge, what's gotten into you?!"

"Oh, nothing! It's just that I forgot that they installed a camera in that elevator the other day," she said, obviously frustrated and pointing toward the elevator.

"Good guess," said the Commander. I shot him a death-stare because he was not helping. And besides, I'd still like to re-grip his throat again. "That camera's how I knew you were down here. Security notified me, and I saw your eyes, and recognized Shadow's and Sonic's quill patterns."

"Security knows we're here?!" I screamed.

"Calm down, Sonic! I told them that I would go down first to check it out. There's no team outside the elevator upstairs waiting for my signal to jump you."

"Doctor," I began into my communicator, "can you confirm this?"

"He speaks the truth," the fat doc replied.

"Who are you talking to, Sonic?"

"Not important right now, boss," said Rouge. "Now we need to ask you a few questions about what's happened."

"Is this the same thing that Sonic was demanding of me?"

"Yes, but unlike him, I'll be nice when I ask." I hated how she looked my way when she said it. Salt in an open wound…

"Well, I need some info from you guys as well."

"Very well." I know Rouge trusts him, but I sure as hell didn't, unless he gave me a damn good reason. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, let's start with what Sonic was screaming about."

"Sir, I'm not sure you're ready for what you're about to hear," Rouge hesitantly said.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"That's because it's not just Sonic's family that's involved in all of this."

"Sonic's family? Involved? You aren't making any sense."

"Then allow us to enlighten you Commander," said Shadow. "But it's best to start from the beginning. Rouge? I don't trust faker with saying anything about everything that's happened without him getting worked up and killing someone over it." Keep talking, Shadow, and you'll get your wish.

"Good idea," she replied. "When we were on our way back on that jet, we found out through Sonic that the pilots had jumped ship."

"Huh? What do you mean, 'jumped ship'?"

"Please, sir, don't interrupt. As I was saying, the pilots jumped ship, and we only found that out because Sonic saw it happen before he could make a call to his wife."

"My wife's got a name, Rouge," I said with a taste of annoyance thrown in.

"We stormed into the cockpit," couldn't even acknowledge Amy, could you? "and found that the pilots were gone, the controls and communicators jammed, the door unable to be opened, and the plane was descending rapidly to the surface. We would've died if not for Sonic's quick thinking, and we escaped the craft with the doctor before it crashed. After that, Eggman woke up with some bad news, and Shadow I dealt with him as Sonic made the call he was going to make earlier. But this is where things get… well… personal. Sonic, tell him what you heard on that voicemail."

I nodded and said, "When I brought up my voicemail, my wife, Amy, had left me a message from two days ago. When it came up…," oh, this was going to hurt, "Amy said that she was under attack."

"Under attack?" His reaction to my reveal was not the one I was expecting from the person who had the means to raid our homes of my wife and kids. "The call ended and I grabbed Eggman, blaming him for what happened. He didn't know what I was talking about, and I decided to show him. Earlier, he had said that Maria was in trouble, and-."

"MARIA? What happened?!"

"I'm getting to that. The doc said that she was in danger and he needed our help. Fearing the worst, I commanded Shadow and Rouge to head for their homes, because I felt that deep down that there was something very wrong. Not just with my family, but theirs as well.

"I brought the doc to my house, and I found it ransacked, completely destroyed. I ran inside and looked all over the property for my family. No family, no Amy, no Cobalt, no Desiree, and no Melanie! My family was gone without a damn trace! And I found the one thing that traces it all to _you_!" I took the lone piece of evidence that we had and put it to his face. Meanwhile, I could see my fur blackening again. "Take a good look, sir! TAKE A GOOD LOOK! This dart is only used by one team of people, and you know exactly who uses this kind of ammo! YOU SHOULD KNOW BECAUSE YOU SENT ONE OF YOUR EXTRACTION TEAMS TO ABDUCT MY FAMILY! MY WIFE! MY KIDS! YOU DESTROYED MY HOUSE!"

"Sonic! Calm down!" Rouge screamed in my ear. She and Shadow were about to restrain me, but I knocked them both out of the way and grabbed the Commander by his military coat and brought him close to my face.

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO GAVE THEM THOSE ORDERS! BUT IT WASN'T JUST MY FAMILY! KNUCKLES AND EMMA? GONE! JUST LIKE MY WIFE AND KIDS! AND MARIA?! WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE ARE OUR FAMILIES?! ALL OUR FAMILIES ARE GONE! ABDUCTED! YOU DIDN'T SEND OUT THOSE TEAMS TO KILL THEM, YOU SENT THEM TO COLLECT THEM LIKE THEY WERE TROPHIES! NOW WHERE ARE THEY?! WHERE'S MY WIFE?! WHERE ARE MY KIDS?! WHERE ARE THEY?! TELL ME!"

He didn't respond at first. His look was that of absolute terror and heartbreak. "M-Maria? She's gone?!"

"YOU SHOULD KNOW," I hissed, "YOU GAVE OUT THE ORDERS TO TAKE THEM ALL WHEN WE WERE AWAY! YOU KNEW THAT WE COULDN'T DEFEND THEM IF WE WERE IN SHAMAR! _YOU KNEW THAT!_ NOW WHERE ARE THEY?!" Shadow sucker-punched me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I released the Commander again because of it, and took a few steps back.

"That's enough, faker!" he yelled.

"What happened to Maria?!" the Commander screamed. Shadow made sure that Rouge held me down as he turned to the Commander. "Shadow…"

"Boss… Maria… she was attacked by a G.U.N. extraction team two nights ago. There's no evidence as to where she was taken. All I know is that she put up a fight, but she didn't win. Your best friend, _my wife_ … she's… she's gone."

I saw the entire exchange. Shadow didn't want to bring up the second time in his life that he lost Maria to G.U.N. soldiers. The Commander's sad look told the story. He believed everything he said. And now, just from the look of fear in his eyes, I knew that Rouge and Shadow were right. He was innocent. He wasn't Genesis.

"Shadow, please tell me this is a joke! Please!"

Shadow sighed. "I'm sorry," he replied silently. The Commander bowed his head. It was more like a hanging, like how a person hangs their head at a funeral out of sheer sadness. "But from what Sonic showed you, we know that she's not dead."

His head shot right up with matching big eyes. "What?!"

"She's alive, sir. But like I said, we don't know where she is."

"But from what we gathered," I said, "all of our families were all taken at roughly the same time over fifty-one hours ago. Rouge, can you let me go now?"

"That depends, have you curbed your anger?" she asked.

"Well, I'd wager that my fur is back to being royal blue." She surveyed my head and it was true, so she let me go.

"Thank you," I said, and then I turned my attention to the Commander. "I'm sorry for acting like I did, sir… and for accusing you."

"I haven't seen you this riled up in the longest time. Just keep that anger of yours in check, alright?"

"Consider it done. Now from what we've gathered, the dart that I showed you are only used by G.U.N. extraction teams and the kidnappings happened at roughly the same time. The M.O.'s for all the abductions are the same across the board. Tear gas, breaking in, fights ensued shortly after, and then they were all overwhelmed and taken away. It's only a matter of time until we get our next lead. That's why we're here."

"And what might that lead be? Maybe I can help?"

"That's just it; someone high up in G.U.N., or at least someone with that kind of power, wanted the three of us dead, and you're the only person that we knew of that could send out extraction teams with those specific sleeper darts as ammo. But with your actions earlier at the news of Maria's capture, we know it wasn't you."

"You still haven't said why you three are here. What's the lead?"

"This is going to take more explaining, so bear with us. Remember when I said, 'Doctor' earlier?" He nodded. "Well, that was Eggman."

"Wait, you're working for that fugitive?!"

"Firstly, no; if anything it's the other way around; he's working for us. Secondly, the same day he was broken out was the same day that something very valuable was stolen from one of the vaults."

"Stolen?"

"Yes. We were tasked with bringing home Shadow, bringing down Eggman, and finding out who was responsible for the doc's break-out, remember?" He nodded again. "Well, this same person is behind everything. The break-out, Shadow's capture, Rouge and I's deployment, the plane crash, our families' abductions; the whole nine yards. When Rouge and I found Eggman's desert hideout, we caught a glimpse of who broke him out; the guy who's really behind all of this. He calls himself 'Genesis'. That name ring a bell to you, Commander?"

"No. No it doesn't."

"Well, whoever Genesis is, we know that he's a man of extreme power that he could have some security guards break Eggman out of maximum security and send out extraction teams to specifically abduct our families while the rest of were overseas. We established that it was too coincidental that our three families were all taken away at the _exact same time_ as when we were away. And on the subject of us being away, he sent us on suicide missions. We were never meant to survive our battle with Eggman. The doc was blackmailed into working with Genesis under the stipulation that if he didn't, Maria would get harmed. Eggman secretly devised a plan for allowing us to beat him and tell us that Maria was in danger. What Genesis stole from here was supposed to give the doc the edge against us."

"And that would be…?"

"The Chaos Emeralds." Judging by the surprised look on his face, my answer was the last thing he was expecting.

"What?!"

"Yeah, yeah, Commander, we know it's a shocking development, but it's true. Eggman then allowed himself to get captured by us so that we could possibly save Maria, but like I said earlier, the three of us weren't meant to return, and Maria was captured anyway. That plane crash was a set-up for us and a cover for Genesis' misdeeds. We were supposed to have died when the jetliner went down. And as for how we got out of the falling aircraft, we had won back the Emeralds during a fight with Eggman and had them with us when we were rapidly descending. With a 'Chaos Control', we teleported off the craft and watched as it blew up in the sunset. The pilots worked for Genesis. It makes perfect sense, when you think about it. And finally, the four of us, "us" meaning Shadow, Rouge, Eggman, and me, rendezvoused on Angel Island to sort things out. I found the dart in my daughter's room and showed it to them. Then we went down into Rouge's bat-cave, geared up, and came here. We figured that if we started where the Emeralds were initially stolen, we might get a clue as to who did this. Not necessarily to our families' location, but to start finding out who was behind this. Does that clear it up for you, sir?"

"After all you guys have said, yes it does. One question. Where's the doctor?"

"On the other end of the communicator. He's in Rouge's bat-cave right now at the large computer that she used to hack into the security feeds in the entire building. We looped around segments of time on your security cameras, and your boys in security would never be able to tell the difference between the looped feeds and the real-time feeds. That's how we were able to get down here without being seen. Well… almost. He's agreed to help us because he wants to see Maria again, and he also knows what the three of us would do to him if he screwed us over or if we can't see our families again."

"It still makes sense to me, but are you sure you can trust him?"

"Like I said, he knows what'll happen to him if he doesn't follow our lead. I'll leave you to imagine what might happen if we can't see our families again if it were his fault."

"Watch it, pincushion," the doc said into my ear.

"Fair enough," the Commander said. "So have you found any evidence down here?"

"Well, we looked at the video footage from the day of the theft. Whoever swiped the Emeralds put fakes in so that it would throw anyone off the trail, should anyone stumble upon it by complete accident. What the thief _didn't_ do right was put the corresponding fake jewels in the same place as their real counterparts. Simply put, he/she put them in the wrong order. Upon closer look at the video, we found out that somebody recorded over the footage at the time of the theft. We sent that video to Eggman, where it's being processed by Rouge's forensic software. By the way… Eggman? How's that video coming along?"

"It'll be done in just a few-. Actually, it's done now."

"Huh. Nice timing. Can you put it up on our screen here?"

"Sure can." I could hear a flurry of clicking noises. No doubt that it came from his typing. Soon enough, it was on our screen.

"Is it possible to show us the Commander what the footage used to look like?"

"Give me a second." And… there was another mad flurry of typing sounds through my earpiece. "It should be playing now. Is it?"

We looked at the monitor. "Yeah." I turned my attention to the rest of us. "This was taken eleven days ago." The tape went from the original layout, and then the small blip of static. But after the second blip of static, the fakes were then shown out of place. "See? The cyan and blue Emeralds are in the wrong place."

"Son of a gun," said the Commander.

"This proves that the Emeralds were switched out. When you stop the footage during the few frames of static, you can see a figure amongst the blurry crap opening the door, and then again at the other end when the static returns, this time, just closing the door.

"And now the newly-discovered footage, doc?"

"It's up now."

The video was put up onto the screen. The safe-door had opened. The man was in a black mask, we couldn't even see his eyes because they were covered by night-vision goggles, and he took out the Chaos Emeralds. After loading them into a bag, he inserted the duplicates, but in the wrong order as we had determined earlier. He went to the video and popped out the disc, and the video stopped, but restarted again as he put the disc back in. He probably looped over the scene of him making the theft in the time in between what would have been the times of the static on the real previous recording.

But there was something different with him. He didn't have his goggles back on. Instead, we still could not see his face, but we could see his eyes. Bright. As. Day. This was… this was… this was a disturbing turn of events. As if this whole caper wasn't crazy enough, _this_ had just happened. The robber had eyes that I would know anywhere, eyes that were not normal for humans. There was only one man that I knew of that had eyes with _pink irises_. My body froze in absolute shock at the sight before me. I didn't know that he was capable of this heist or that he was a pawn of Genesis.

"That's… that's… Hex? Hector Wilson? Titus' secretary?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"Faker, how could possibly know that?" Shadow asked.

"Do you know anybody else that has pink-colored irises and is a HUMAN, Shadow? Run his iris pattern through the G.U.N. databases for all I care! I can guarantee that it was Hex that raided the vault!" They backed off for a moment to think it through, but by judging their body language and facial expressions, my reasoning was plausible.

"It's possible that the thief could've used fake contact lenses?" Rouge asked nervously. Please, batsy, just by the way you said it, even you knew that your argument was flimsy.

"Then do like I said! Run it through a database! You probably have some forensic software back home that could do it in a snap, no?"

"Not a bad idea. Doctor?"

"On it." Yet another flurry of typing could be heard through our earpieces. "Beginning scan." We waited for the results to come back, but the room was awkwardly silent afterward, given that what the next point of conversation was going to be dependent on the test's results. I just hope it would get over with soon.

"Done."

"The results?" I asked.

"I'll pull it up for you to see." Egghead did his magic and put it on the monitors. I was right. "A perfect match."

"Well, that rules my theory out," Rouge said. "So I guess our next move is to get into contact with him?"

"And find out why Genesis made him execute this heist," said Shadow.

 _Execute_ … _execute_ … _execute_ a plan… Hex… the extraction team… using G.U.N. assets… high level of power… _execute_ … Wait, who says things need to be _executed_ , as in like following an order? Some sort of _executi_ -.

OH, GOD.

NO.

IT'S NOT POSSIBLE. BUT IT SOMEHOW IS.

My eyes shot up because of my stunning realization. I moaned lowly as a destroyed look plagued my face. My irises were without a question shrunken to the size of peas.

"Blue, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Rouge, there won't be any need to ask Hex who Genesis is."

"What are you going on about, faker?" asked Shadow.

"Shadow, you said that Genesis needed to have Hex _execute_ this heist. He also needed to have the extraction teams _execute_ successful abduction missions, the pilots to _execute_ a staged plane crash, Eggman to _execute_ a plan to kill us-."

"Sonic?" Rouge began. "Considering that our families have been abducted and in grave danger, over-using the word, 'execute' is not helping one bit! Now why're you saying it so liberally?!"

"Because we missed one _BIG_ detail. The Commander isn't the only one who could've pulled these strings. There's someone else who could have easily done it, and behind closed doors, to boot. Tell me, guys, who tells people to _execute_ orders?"

"An executive?" the Commander asked halfheartedly.

"Yes. An _executive_ ordered these things to happen. _An Executive order_. _AN_ _ **EXECUTIVE**_ _ORDER_."

"Okay, we get it, Blue," Rouge said, irritated.

"No… not yet, you don't. Genesis is someone that isn't the Commander that can put out _executive_ orders to do things without other peoples' permission. All he needed to do was say the word, and it would be done, no questions asked. Now who do we know has the weight to order military-trained attacks by highly-skilled agents on _executive_ orders?"

All of their eyes shot open at what I was getting at.

"Sonic," began Shadow, "you are not seriously considering that-?"

"I'm way past considering; I know it for a fact. He's the only one with enough power to do this. And when I get my hands on him…"

"Going in and putting your hands around his neck is not the way to go. Not with what's on the line, Blue. We need a plan." I hated it when Rouge was right.

"I have a suggestion," said the Commander. "I have a meeting with him tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM."

"Where? The White House?"

"The Octagon Office. He's calling me in for an update on what we've found as wreckage of the plane crash and to check if we found your bodies."

"Well, you'll have to sell the fact that he thinks we're dead. He tried to end us, and when we do disappoint him, he won't see it coming," I said.

"Please, after what he's done to you guys, it'd be an honor. So, do you guys have a plan for getting in?"

"The Octagon Office doesn't have the Chaos-energy sensors that this building has been retrofitted with, does it?"

"No. Why?"

THE NEXT MORNING

***The Commander's POV***

As I moved through the hallways, I looked around at all the pieces of history that had accumulated over the years of different Commanders-in-Chief. Small war memorials, paintings done by the most revered of artists that the world has ever known. At the long line of the murals was his face… and now he had tainted the very noble line.

They said that I'd have to keep my emotions to check, but I knew that they were calling the kettle black because of their emotions towards the situation. I had to do the next best thing. Thankfully, years of political work has given me the one thing that all veteran politicians are known for: having one hell of a poker face. Not flinching or giving way on the outside when things weren't going their way.

But what if Sonic was wrong? This could go downhill faster than him at his maximum speed. You wouldn't think that _he_ could do something like this, given his high position. But therein lies the perfection of it all. He would be the last person expected to do it, kinda like how Batman is really the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. And given his aforementioned position, he could've had several things happen without the public knowing. It was Presidency 101. Just how many behind-the-scenes things he's done is something that will be hopefully determined in the near future.

"He's just through the door, sir. He's waiting for you."

"Thank you, Hex." Why, Hector? Why did you do it? How could you be a part of all of this?!

The door unlocked and I went through where President Titus sat behind his desk.

"Good morning, Commander."

"Good morning to you, sir," I said as I saluted him, to which he returned the favor. You sick S.O.B.

"Please, sit down, and get right to it." There was a sense of urgency and fear in his voice. I kept my eyes on him for the entire time of me sitting. His voice was concerned and his body language seemed to match. "Do you have _anything_ for me?"

"We sent a team to clean up the accident and search for them last night, but they haven't reported back anything… helpful."

"Dammit, Commander, I need some _good_ news!" he screamed as he rose from his seat and slammed his hands on the table.

"I'm just relaying what they've told me, sir. They're still searching, but because of the explosion, it's distinctly possible that… that they're bodies were disintegrated from the explosion and subsequent fire. If not that, it's also possible that their bodies were washed out to sea." He sighed in frustration and hung his head.

"Do their families know yet?"

I sighed. "No," I said, keeping up my bluff, even looking away nervously to add to my scripted sadness. It didn't look like he was catching onto my ruse. "Those phone calls aren't going to be any fun. Especially with Maria."

"Because of your childhood friendship?"

I nodded. "That's the exact reason." And you had her abducted, you piece of garbage!

He looked out the window and said, "Y'know, Sonic and his friends have saved us time and time again from whatever that fat doctor pulled out his hat next, but if I may say so, with all they've done and all they've dealt with, going out in a plane crash seems… weak for them."

"Huh. And I here I thought I was the only one who thought that."

He turned back to face me and nodded. "Commander, do you really think that they're dead?"

"Well, what do you think?"

"As much as I hate to say it, I believe that… that they may actually be gone. What say you?"

I shook my head. "I honestly don't know. Like you said, they've been through worse, but they haven't contacted us. Had they survived, they would have done so. But since they haven't… well, I just don't know yet is what I'm trying to say. This is something that we'll have to wait out."

He sighed again and said, "Is there anything else you would like to report, Commander?"

"No, sir." My phone began chiming. I pulled it out and said, "This is the Commander."

"You're putting on a good show, sir. Good job on convincing him."

"I see. So, do you need me there now?"

"Well, since _we_ need to talk to Titus…"

"Alright, I'll be there soon."

"Just remember to go to Mobotropolis and tell my mom what's happening, alright, sir? Tell her not to do anything. Tell her that her little man has got this all under control."

"You got it. I'm on my way now, we'll be in touch." I ended the call and turned back to the traitor. "Well, I have to leave, sir."

"May I ask what that was about?"

"It's a personal matter, sir. Now if you don't mind?" He nodded and stood up, shaking my hand. I'll have to remind myself to wash my hands later. "I'll keep you posted on any developments, sir."

"Thank you, Commander." With that, I left, walking down the same halls on my way to my limousine. As I put on my seat belt, and told the driver to head to Central City International Airport, I pulled out my phone again and began texting.

"He's all yours."

 _***Sonic's POV***_

My phone vibrated. I flicked the screen with my finger and read the text.

"He's all yours."

"Eggman, you good on your end?"

"You bet."

"Alright, guys," I said, "We've got the 'all clear'. Got your Emeralds?" They pulled them out of their hair and quills and showed them to me. They each had two. Rouge had the purple and white ones, Shadow had the red and yellow ones, and I had the green, cyan, and blue ones. "Let's go to work."

We all yelled, "Chaos Control!" and we zapped away. In a bright flash, we were in the office that I myself was inside too often in previous years. The shear brilliance of the shine we brought with us made the cowardly politician lose his bearings and fall unceremoniously out of his chair onto his crimson red carpeting. When he came to, the look on his face was PRICELESS. Shock, bewilderment, a quivering bottom lip, pupils the size of mustard seeds, and he was at a loss for words for a few moments.

"Hello, Max!" I said with a nasty and pissed-off smile.

Rouge and Shadow all gave him looks as if to say, "I am going to enjoy hurting you".

"S-S-Son-nic?" That's my name, don't wear it out! "Sonic, my boy! You're alive!" Oh, how I _hated_ it when he said, "Sonic, my boy!".

"Now, doc!"

"What?" Max's confusion turned to horror in mere milliseconds as all the doors leading into the Octagon Office shut and locked themselves. They went along nicely with the windows that slammed down large sheets of bulletproof steel, completely covering them up. These defensive procedures were designed to be used exclusively if a threat had been able to make its way into the White House. But here's the thing, we hacked into it. No way in or out. Besides, we needed some alone time.

For my next trick, I stormed towards his desk with fire in my eyes and grabbed him by his blue silk suit. "What're you doing?!" he cried. "What's the mean-?"

"SHUT IT, TITUS!" I had my hold on him and I flung him from behind his wooden desk and onto the United Federation Seal that was resided in the middle of his crimson red carpeting. Rouge and Shadow both walked to him, standing above him.

"What's the me-?" He couldn't finish the same question he was going to ask the first time on account of my right hand at his throat.

"Shut it, Max." His name tasted like venom in my mouth. "We have some things to talk about."

"What's gotten *COUGH COUGH* into you three?!"

"We need your help, sir. And seeing as how you're locked in with us and that there's no way for your Secret Servicemen to get into the room, I'd say that this is our best chance to talk."

I let go of his throat and he said, "Talk?! This is how you talk?!"

He tried to get back up, but Shadow quickly put his right foot down on his chest, slamming him back onto the earth. "The man's trying to speak, so stay down and shut up."

"Besides, you're in no position to do anything," added Rouge.

"I can send in guards to deal with you!" he yelled.

"The doors are all locked, Maxie," I taunted. "Now let's get down to business." I grabbed him by the suit again. "Where are our families?"

"What?! Your fam-?"

"SHUT UP AND ANSWER THE QUESTION, YOU PIECE OF TRASH!"

"How dare you, you-!"

"Answer the question! Where have you taken them?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" His eyes said different.

"Okay then... let's start somewhere else. Why did you send us to die?"

"To die?!"

"Yes! You sent us to get killed at Eggman's hand. If not there, you had the pilots bail out on us mid-flight and have us die in the ensuing crash! You set us up! You set it all up!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Now let me go!"

Shadow pulled out a pistol and put it right to his right knee. "Now speak quickly, Titus. If you don't, you'll be in the market for a good knee surgeon."

"You're all crazy!"

"Not the worst quality in the world," said Rouge, "Except in _your_ case."

"Now, Titus," I began, "Why did you do it? You sent us to get killed… TWICE, you sent your secretary to steal the Chaos Emeralds from G.U.N. evidence lockup, you broke Eggman out of jail to kill us, you blackmailed said doctor into killing us or it'd be curtains for Maria, which was a really bad choice because Shadow's right here and he is itching to use that 9mm semiautomatic pistol and rip through your right knee's A.C.L., but I digress. In addition to everything that I've already said, you sent three extraction teams to each of our homes while we were away dealing with Egghead, and you took our families! I know for a fact that you went above the Commander's head and gave executive orders to those men, and that you have our families alive somewhere. You hurt Maria, Knuckles, and Emerald! And worst of all? You invaded my home, you hurt my Desiree, you hurt my Cobalt, you hurt my Melanie, and you had your men beat up my Amy! Now where are they?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" His eyes shrunk again when Shadow cocked his pistol, and shot him a wicked smile. You knew you were in deep trouble when Shadow smiled at you… especially like that.

"Don't you? You saw Rouge and me on that roof at the palace when you were talking to Eggman about Maria. You said it yourself that you sent Eggman his most hated enemy, me, wrapped up like a Christmas present. So… what's it going to be, Titus? Are you going to tell us where they are, or is Shadow going to have to shoot your knee out and torture you until we find out… _Genesis_?"

He panted furiously, but I could see something in his eyes. We had pinched a nerve. We had him now.

"I should've known that the fat oaf couldn't end you three… or you surviving that 'accident'."

"Tell us," I hissed. "Where are they?"

"Why don't you see for yourselves?" Huh?

He moved his right arm swiftly, knocking the pistol out of the range of his leg. Shadow shot off a round, but it missed. He threw Shadow off and Rouge lunged, but he threw her off too, landing on the near wall. As for me, he pulled out something that I wished I didn't have to deal with after Shamar: a Taser.

He released the shot, and thousands of volts coursed through my body, making me scream in agony. Shadow went for another attack, but Titus sidestepped him again, running into Rouge near the wall. As a result of that, they both fell to the floor discombobulated because of head-to-head contact.

"Activate emergency protocols!" he said into his earpiece. He let go of the Taser, granting me relief for a few moments. He ducked behind the desk and pulled out a gas mask from it.

Oh, this wasn't good.

Instantly, a gas flooded the room. The three of us were quickly enveloped in it, coughing heavily as my systems began shutting down. I became drowsy, as did my teammates. He walked over to me, and got down to my ear. "You asked for it, Sonic."

Rouge and Shadow were both unconscious, but I wasn't yet. The last thing that I remembered seeing was Titus winding up for a kick, and it connected… straight to my skull, knocking me out cold.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Ladies and gentlemen, we have our villain. You might have been able to guess that Max is this story's big baddie, or maybe this came as a surprise to you._

 _Now when it comes to villains in SonAmy stories, if there's a villain/antagonist to begin with, there are usually four Sonic characters that become the bad guy. Firstly, there's Eggman for obvious reasons._

 _Secondly, there's Shadow. Whenever Shadow's the antagonist in a SonAmy story, there's almost always an element of ShadAmy involved, usually with Shadow wanting Amy to be his._

 _Thirdly, there's Scourge the Hedgehog from the Archie comics. To be honest, I kinda wish that Scourge would be a villain in more SonAmy stories. His perverted nature towards Amy is almost always humorous and can be fun to write and read._

 _Finally, there's Sally Acorn. A lot of SonAmy supporters think the princess is Satan reincarnated, or something very close to that. There's also others that thinks she's a great character. I identify myself as liking Sally. I don't like every Sonic-related shipping, but I can respect the Sonic and Sally pairing. I also respect all other pairings, mainly because, like SonAmy, there are big followings for other pairings (Sonadow, ShadAmy, Sonally, Sonaze, etc.). But to back to Sally, she's a great leader in the comics, and to be blunt, if I had grown up with the Sonic comics and not the games, I'd probably ship Sonally because Sonic and Sally both have that leadership characteristic. But I grew up with the games, not the comics, so I don't ship it Sonally. Please don't hate me or cuss me out for not supporting some shippings. Let's agree to disagree._

 _Alright, back to the story. Titus' plan will be announced next chapter, and that's all I really have to say._ _Oh, and Amy returns next chapter (because God-forbid she's in a SonAmy story)._ _Chapters 21 & 22 will be out 10/19, and the last two chapters will be out 10/26._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA._


	21. 21: All Because You Said, No

**Ch. 21: All Because You Said, "No."**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

My eyes slowly fluttered open to see nothing but darkness as I groaned lowly in pain. I got up, still sore from the 50,000 volts of Taser power that coursed through my body. Make it twice in a three-day span that it happened. If I never get electrocuted again, it'll be too soon.

I rolled my neck around, cracking it, and did a full-body stretch. I couldn't see much. I felt around to find a concrete wall, then I moved left to find another, and even more left to find a third one. The fourth wall was made of glass. I took my hands off the third wall and looked out of the fourth, and saw the moonlight shining down from the skylight into a larger room. In the larger room, it looked like there were other small rooms like mine, but whether they were occupied or not, I could not tell. In the middle of the room was a small electronic console, probably my ticket out. But I was here, and it was over there.

I put my hands on the glass for only a second, but right after I did that, I was sprayed with highly-pressurized water that made me take a few steps back. I groaned in agony from it. I got back up to the pane and touched it again, and just like last time, there was a loud blast of the stupid water to knock me back again. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this glass wall was rigged so that it would spray me when touched. When I took another step toward the glass, I heard a splash. Water had made its way into my trademark white-striped red shoes. The same waters from my overly-glorified super-soaking had begun to pool in my cell.

"Great," I thought out loud, "First I'm trapped, and now my shoes are all wet."

"Sonic?!" My eyes shot up. That voice… could it be?! I had to be sure.

"Y-Yes?" I replied nervously.

"Baby, is that you?!" IT'S HER!

"Amy?! Ames, I'm here! Where are you?!"

As if on cue, a bright light shined in my room, blinding me for a second. When I came to, the large room was also well-lit. Getting as close to the glass as I could, I saw all of us in a cell for each of us. Shadow, Maria, Rouge, Knuckles, and finally, _her_.

When I first saw her, I felt like a million bucks. It was like I hadn't seen her in years. Lord knows it felt like it. She looked like she had been through hell, and given that she was beaten senseless back at the homestead… But jeez; I could never imagine her to look this worse for wear. She looked slightly underfed. Her normally pleasant body was skinnier than it should have been, not quite looking like an anorexic runway model, but not far from it. Her clothes were partially torn and ripped, and she exhibited scraped hands, bruises all over her body, but her face and warm smile still remained angelic through the bruising. However, what perplexed me the most was that all of her wounds were treated. She had bandages over most of them. So what did that mean? That whoever hurt her also medically treated her? A savage, but also a Samaritan?

Hell, Knuckles and Maria looked like they had gone through the same war that Amy did. Oh, wait; they did. The only difference was that Maria, out of the three original abductees, looked the cleanest and most well-kept and -fed. It looked like she didn't take as much of a beating as opposed to my hard-headed and -fisted friend or my wife.

And then there was Shadow and Rouge. The sudden light change had awoken them up too. The cells were placed in a hexagonal fashion with one person seeing their spouse directly on the opposite side of the room. All of us were awake by this point, and we were all overjoyed to see our better halves alive and (mostly) well. Shadow and Rouge went up to the glass walls of their respective cells, but were thrown back because of the rigged glass and the ensuing aquatic blast. If their cells were rigged like mine was, then who's to say that that they weren't all rigged?

As I turned my attention back to my wife, tears formed in both of her eyes. By the time I reset my gaze upon her, tears were already flowing down our faces like rivers. We both whimpered at the sheer joy of the moment. I was right… about everything. They were _alive_! But if there's only six of us here… WHERE'S THE REST OF US?!

"Ames? Where are the kids?!"

"Sonic…"

"Beautiful, please answer me. Where are they?! Where?!"

"Not here." Oh… that voice... that _wicked_ voice… that rat!

He came into our room looking the same as when I had seen him earlier. Blue silk suit, coifed hair that was now more grey than brown, and a certain swagger to his step. All of us stood silently and angrily at the man who was responsible for our hellish encounters.

"Titus," I hissed.

"In the flesh. How are your new living arrangements?"

"Our kids. WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"You didn't answer my question."

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"I'll take it you don't like your rooms. I'm sorry, but they're all we can afford at the current moment."

"CAN THE SMART MOUTH! TELL ME NOW!"

"First off, they are not _your_ kids." EXCUSE ME?! "Second of all, they are _mine_. They are my property."

"And I'm a toy monkey crashing cymbals together! And 'your property'? Who do you think you are?!"

"First off, I'm the President of the United Federation, and secondly, I'm your offspring's new owners." The more he shot his mouth off, the darker I turned. My breathing intensified, and my willingness to not commit murder was draining. "I wouldn't go Dark if I were you, Sonic."

"Says you," I demonically replied.

"You know what? I'm feeling generous, so I'll honor your request. Let me show you your offspring." He snapped of his fingers and a television screen came out in the back of my cell. Identical ones came out in all of our cells as well. The monitor turned on and… no!

Images of violence, torture, abuse, and other unholy things were brought to all our attentions. The worst part of it was who we saw taking the punches, the electrical shocks, and the worst kind of abuse you could imagine: our children. My dark blue fur increased in its blackening. My fists were clenching tighter and tighter. My eye twitched furiously, my eyes were now a glowing and ghostly white. There was no scary laughter, just angry groaning. It turned louder and louder the more I saw the evil sights.

"Titus," I spoke. "I'LL KILL YOU!" I turned and dashed for the glass door and swung madly, attempting to shatter it. The more I swung, the more the ensuing water pressure tried to knock me back. But I wasn't giving up. Not after what I had witnessed my children go through. I swung faster and yelled. The water accumulated more in my cell. I didn't care anymore. I wanted him dead. I wanted his blood on my hands, his head severed and on a silver platter, and his skeleton resting above my fireplace. And what did he do as I struggled? He walked up to the cell door and laughed as if a great joke had been told. He snapped his fingers again and two poles came from descended from the ceiling. I stopped my swipes to see them. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the first spark of electricity appear.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Water covered my body, and a powerful electric current was thrown in for good measure. The pain was indescribable. Thousands of volts went through my systems yet again, only this time it felt worse than my two previous experiences… and I just had to think, "If I never get electrocuted again, it'll be too soon," didn't I?

It stopped for the moment, the poles returning to within the ceiling above. My cell was at least a quarter of the way filled with water, and my body fell in absolute agony with my head above the water line. I moaned in physical agony as the pain did not subside for a few moments. I was able to get one foot up and then the other, finally using the bed I was passed out on to help stand me up. He smiled like a weasel with his hands behind his back.

"I told you," he said in a sing-song voice. "You didn't listen. Are you going to calm down now?"

"What are y-you doing t-t-to the kids?!"

"You mean you didn't see?"

"SAVE THE ATTITUDE, YOU SLICK BAS-!"

"I thought you of all people would enjoy a cocky tone of voice. Certainly a case of 'what goes around, comes around', wouldn't you say, Sonic?"

"Leave the irony alone for just one, measly second and tell me what you are doing to them!"

"I am simply preparing them for the future, Sonic. _My_ future."

"The only thing I see in your future is-."

"Oh, spare me the threats, Sonic. Now calm down, and let's try this again." It was obvious now that he wasn't going to answer that question, so I guess I would have to have another one answered.

"Alright, fine," I said. Rouge caught my attention by waving her arms around feverishly. She pulled out a small device that, judging by her charades… oooooooh. What she was holding was a small voice-recorder; G.U.N.-standard-issue, no doubt. I had used those back in old days as well, and I knew that the range on them was impressive to put it mildly. Now it made sense. I just had to get him to spill it all. Here goes everything…

"I'll let you start. What say you, Titus?" I asked.

"I say that you and your team should be dead by now. But I guess I should've known that Eggman wouldn't be able to get the job done."

"Yeah… I don't know why you called on him to do it. He's really incompetent when you really think out it."

"Yes, he is."

"Titus, I got another question for you. It's not the same question I yelled at you before, but I have to build up to the question. So you'll have to bear with me. Think you can do that?"

He scoffed. "Ask away, rodent." This coming from the rat-, I mean, _politician_.

"Alright. You know, I'm kind of insulted by the way you work."

"Why? Is it because that I'm torturing the little people that you love so much?" he mocked.

"That, and your methods of killing Shadow, Rouge, and me. Eggman? Seriously? Pfft. You broke out the one man whose rear end I've kicked so many times over the years out of prison to kill me? I'll say now that if wanted to end me, then you should've chosen someone else, because I don't know if you noticed, but we've beaten him more times than I can count.

"And let's not forget about that backup plan. A plane crash? Again, seriously? That was your big backup plan just in case Eggy with the Chaos Emeralds in the desert didn't work? You go through all the trouble of breaking him out, having your secretary, Hex, go to G.U.N. evidence lockup to swipe the Chaos Emeralds to give to the doc to help him in killing Shadow, Rouge, and I, and if that didn't work, you wanted to kill us in a plane crash? Really? How do you go from Eggman with the most powerful pieces of rock on the planet to kill us, to killing us in a plane crash?! My friends and I have dealt with giant robots, aliens, and angry gods hell-bent on world destruction, and you think that after all of that that a plane crash would kill us? HA! You are an idiot! A plane crash as a way to kill us seems so ordinary compared to the kind of B.S. we've had to handle in years' past! That's what I'm insulted by!

"No, I take that back, because there's something else I'm even more insulted by! You were a smart man to have three adults sent away on assignments while our families were vulnerable to attacks. I'll give you credit, Max, that's how a nutcase villain like you is supposed to work; you take away the bigger threats, leaving the easier targets. No offense to my friends and wife here, but it made sense to go after them then, given that they more than themselves to look out for. But I'm more insulted that not only did you use executive orders for the worst of reasons, but that you went above what it means to be a leader! But you are a politician after all, so I guess you would have to resort to doing something like that would make you a coward."

A collective "Oooooh!" enveloped the room. Titus' face was priceless.

"And how am _I_ the cowardly one?!"

"Because you weren't man enough to take me on head-to-head yourself. You hid behind the scenes as all the henchmen did the bigger jobs. Trying to kill Shadow, Rouge, and me… _twice,_ abducting our families, torturing our kids, and for thinking that you're actually going to get away with all of this! _That_ is what insults me! All you are is a sociopath who thinks that just because you have some power and can use it, poorly at that, you think that you can do and say whatever you want. Trust me, Titus, I've seen this kind of a sad, sad person too many times in my life. You are no better than a common criminal for the things you've done. That just makes you a _great_ politician.

"So you orchestrated all of this; the kidnappings, the misuse of government power, Eggman's breakout, the robbery of the Chaos Emeralds, attempting to kill my team and I twice, holding us prisoner, and laying a hand on the kids. But what I have to know is why. Titus, why?! Why the violence?! Why the abductions?! Why all of this?! At least answer me that!"

He took every word that I said in and stirred it around in his skull like it was an alcoholic cocktail, debating if I was "worthy" enough to get the truth. Then he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. He smirked. He had made his decision.

"What a question, Sonic!" He chuckled again his smile turned cheesy. His teeth fit the bill since they were a bit yellow. I craved putting my fist into them over and over until it got to the point where an oral surgeon couldn't fix his mouth.

"I want to you take a good look at everyone in the room, Sonic. Go ahead, look!" I raised an eyebrow, but I did as he said and looked at everyone, then back to him. "Now to everyone else, I want you to look at Sonic. Take a nice, hard look." I saw five other pairs of eyes gaze upon me. What was he getting at? "This hedgehog," he proclaimed loudly, "is the reason you're all here!"

HUH?!

" _Me?!_ I'm not the one who turned into a criminal, broke Egghead out of jail, or abducted any of us! How the hell am I the one at fault?!"

He leaned in closer to the pane that separated us and said, "They're all here because you said 'no'."

"'Because I said 'no'? What are you babbling about?!"

"Think back, hedgehog; you'll remember."

Remember? I said 'no'? Because of me? He was making as much sense as Kanye West performing at a country music award show.

"No, I don't recall. Enlighten me," I challenged. He sighed. It was like I let him down for some reason.

"Y'know, Sonic, I thought you would be smarter than this."

"You sound like my friend, Tails," I replied dryly.

He rolled his eyes, took in a sharp breath and turned away. "Eight years ago. I need you to remember what you did eight years ago."

Eight years ago? Let's see… I was still with G.U.N., Knuckles' and Rouge's wedding, that night with Amy, my last mission, going to the Whi-. OH, YOU'VE GOTTA BE FREAKING KIDDING ME.

"You're still upset about me leaving G.U.N.?! After all these years?! What are you?! A child?!"

He smirked. "I'll stand by the statement that you were the best G.U.N. agent I had ever seen, Sonic."

"I'm flattered," I retorted angrily.

"As I was saying, when you wanted out the first time, I thought that it was another one of your jokes. You are famous for them after all." Among other things… "But when you were actually serious, well, I didn't especially like your decision, but I had a thought. 'He's going to miss the action, the suspense, and the thrill of the mission.' I thought that it was going to be a matter of time until you came back. And all those phone calls I paid you? I just wanted you to come back to us."

"I asked for you to honor my wishes. You could've done that! After all the annoying things you've ever done to me, you could have at least honored my wishes!"

"You call me 'annoying'? You were the one who married an 'annoying' fan girl!"

"At least Amy wants me for the man I was! You only want me to be your little soldier!"

"Quiet!" He knew that I had him there. Why else would he scream that last word? "And then when I begged you to come back a few months later, I thought the thrill would bring you back. You had to admit, Sonic, that getting back in the game in Shamar was fun, wasn't it?"

"No, it wasn't because you ripped me away from the woman I loved and still love! Secondly, you were too much of a wuss to do anything about it yourself! Some world leader you were!"

"Quiet!" There it was again. "But when you came back, you still didn't want in, so I thought I'd have to force you back in, whether you liked it or not. Oh, but you just had to play that royal get-out-of-jail-free card of yours, didn't you? I thought you always hated using your princely authority!"

"I do, but I was desperate, and I wanted you gone. I had better things to do with my life, and you had meddled in it for far too long. I couldn't get you out of my life fast enough. To be perfectly honest, I don't know why I didn't use my royal authority sooner! As much as I hate playing 'Prince Sonic', I will go on the record and say that it was the best use of my royal authority to date."

"And yet, you're still at my mercy." Keep laughing, Titus. Just keep laughing… "When you pulled that little stunt that night, I knew I couldn't personally do a thing to get you back. That was, until I realized something. You hurt me too many times, and I wasn't going to let you hurt me again. The fact that you didn't even extend an invitation to me for your wedding definitely didn't help." He's mad at me for not getting an invite? Jeez, he's upset about _that_ too?! That's just as bad as how angry Maleficent was about not being invited to Princess Aurora's christening (that's a reference to Disney's _Sleeping Beauty_ , for those of you keeping track at home). "I was determined to get back at you thank in part to a new-found hatred of you. I thought of a few ways to get some payback on you. Maybe having something bad happen to your wife…?"

I slammed my fists against the glass in a fit of anger, only to get another quick power-washing. "You want to run that by me again?!"

"No, I think you heard it clear as day. But then I found out that Amy was pregnant! With triplets no less! Then a brilliant thought crossed my head! Your children! That's how I'd get back at you! But I waited until their births to do something, and what I found out is that your kids seem to possess your speed, Sonic. I've watched them grow up; even more than you have! I mean, just look at that soccer tournament your kids won the other day!"

"Spying on children, Titus? Especially for an old man like you-."

"Silence! Ahem. Their speed and athletic abilities weren't the only thing I noticed. Little Emerald was exhibiting some of her mother and father's physical traits as well, so I came up with the idea to wait until they were of age and then I'd swipe take them from you and raise them as my own! The same would for Shadow and Maria's kid when born, and since she's carrying the child of the ultimate lifeform, coupled with the abilities of the other kids, I would use them all against you and your friends, because I also remembered that even if I took you out, I'd still have to deal with the rest of your rodent and heroic friends."

"Enough talking, Titus! What's the endgame?!"

"The endgame? Simple. I abducted your kids to raise them the way that I deem fit. I'll strip them of their freewill by systematic torture, which you saw an example of just a moment ago. With their wills broken, I will use my new little soldiers to bring down anyone who stands in my way! Naturally super-powered soldiers at my command, doing everything that I say! Oh, it will be like having multiple you's, Sonic, at my beck and call with no chance of escaping! And why stop with just ending you and your friends?! Why not think bigger? Like your mom and siblings at Mobotropolis? Why not go one step further and take down the queen herself? With super-powered soldiers making sure that I will be the one in charge, all in the name of the United Federation! And if I needed more natural superhero soldiers, well, that's where Maria, Amy, and Knuckles came into the fold. I would have made sure that they'd mate and make sure that I would never run out of them! And when they're no longer fertile, well, there'd be no more need for them anymore, would there? My soldiers would just reproduce with each other again and again, leaving no end in sight for my glorious rule!" He looked directly at me and said the final line. "And the only reason I'm doing this, Sonic, is all because you said 'no'."

My anger had built up to unhealthy levels. I had never killed a man, even in my Dark form, but I was determined to break that vow. But I wouldn't just kill him at first; there'd be no fun in that. I'd torture him; make him go through the hell that he's putting my kids through. Then I would break him until he was an inch from death, have him beg for me to end his life with him at my feet, only to spare him and start the process over and over again until I got bored of him. Then I'd end his life. But as I went down my list of doing what he had coming to him, I realized that would make me no better than him. And I realized one more thing.

"I was wrong, Titus. You're not a sociopath. You are the worst kind of scum that I have ever seen in my life! Hurting innocent people just because of something that's between you and me?! No! I would never and will never let anyone die because of me! I was wrong to call you a sociopath. I know now that you are insane! You're crazy! You're worse than all the criminals I've put away, the villains I've defeated! You have set the standard for a complete wacko! And above all, Titus, you have messed with the wrong people! Your fight was with me. There was no need to involve anyone else! Take a look around, Max, and see that every set of eyes on you in this room hasn't taken too kindly to your words! I'm willing to bet that they want you dead more than I do! It was never their fight! So why bring them in? And you think that you can beat us?! We have dealt with gods! Aliens! A diabolically genius and megalomaniacal doctor hundreds of times, and you think that you're any better than them?! HA! You're the dumbest one of them all! Why? Because you have systematically pissed off each and every mom and dad in this room, and you brought our kids into this mess! Do you realize that none of us are going to quit until our kids are safe and you're burning in hell?! DO YOU?! You idiot! You have pissed off the world's greatest heroes by involving innocent lives in this, our kids no less! I want you to mark my words, Max. I want you to remember these words: with everything that you have done, none of us will quit until you are beaten. I will make sure you get justice for what you've done! You will not get away with this, and when the dust settles, I will see to it myself that I personally put one of my signature red shoes up your ass! You are the one person on this planet that I will not save, because with what you have done, even though I am the hero that everyone looks up to, even I would not be able to save you, nor would I want to! I'm not talking just as a hero, but as a husband and a father, a husband and father that is willing to go through hell and back to protect his family! My friends, my mother, my sister, my brother, my wife, my son, and my daughters! They are all my family and I swear to you, that you will lose, and that you will know that your biggest mistake was involving my family in a fight that should have only been between you and me! _YOU GOT THAT?!_ "

When I finished, I tried to catch my breath. I studied his face. He laughed suddenly as if I had told the greatest joke of all time. It probably was one to him.

"Oh, Sonic, you amuse me! The thing is that I still have your offspring at my mercy, just like you, and I could easily end their lives at any time if I wanted to!"

"But to you, they're an investment. And there's no need to end an investment with such prime potential."

"Playing devil's advocate, Sonic? Well, you're right in saying that. But these is an option where your kids can leave scot-free. Because as it so happens, I have something better in my possession. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing that you survived your escapades."

"Meaning?"

"I'll let your children go on with their happy lives, but you would have to take their place. Sadly, it wouldn't be just you, Sonic. It would be for all of you in this room right now! If you all pledge your allegiance to me and the United Federation, listening to everything that I command of you, I will set your kids free! But I won't ask for an answer yet, you guys. I'll be nice and give you some time to think it over." He began to walk back to the door from once he came. "You have fifteen minutes. Think carefully." With those final words, the door shut behind him, leaving us to our thoughts.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Sonic, how dare you! We allow you to say "Damn" and "Hell", but did you really need to say "ass"?! Really?! But in all seriousness, i think Sonic saying "Ass" really tied his final rant together with a nice, pretty bow._

 _Okay, I admit it. I portrayed Max as your stereotypical psychotic madman who wants to rule the world. But to be fair, he's only doing it out of revenge against Sonic. However, that's still no excuse for writing him as such a one-dimensional villain. When I write future stories, I'll have to flush out my villains a little more. I couldn't do that here because I wanted Max's evil reveal to be a surprise._

 _Stick around, because chapter 22 will be up very soon._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA._


	22. 22: We're Gonna Make a Jailbreak

**WARNING: DOES CONTAIN SOME INTENSE, VIOLENT SITUATIONS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. (NO ONE DIES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, JUST SOME BROKEN BONES)**

 **Ch. 22: We're Gonna Make a Jailbreak**

 _***Sonic's POV***_

We all looked at each other. Amy and Maria looked genuinely worried. Knuckles and Shadow looked irritated, to put it mildly. As for Rouge and me, we exchanged devilish smirks.

"Sonic," began Amy, "how could you possibly be smiling at this situation?! Our kids' lives are at stake!"

"I know," I replied arrogantly.

"Sonic!"

"Amy, calm down, we'll get them back. Rouge, did you get all of that?"

"I did," Rouge said as she waved it her hand.

"What's that, Rouge?" asked Maria.

"A G.U.N.-standard-issue voice recorder," she said with a smirk. "I can't believe he told us _everything_!"

"I know, right?" I replied.

"What's so important about that?" Knuckles asked.

"Babe," Rouge began, "when we bring him to the authorities, we can give them a taped confession to everything he's done. When we get out and prosecute him, the case against him will be nothing short of a slam dunk."

"That is, if we can get out of here," said Amy.

"Don't give up hope now, darlin'," I replied. "Shadow, Rouge, you guys know anything about these prison cells? Maybe there's a way we can get out?"

"These cells," said Shadow, "are unique to only _one_ G.U.N. base in the entire world."

"Are you expecting me to guess that location?"

"Prison Island."

" _Prison Island?_ I thought you guys and Eggman blew this place to kingdom come years ago!"

"That was, as you said, years ago, Blue," said Rouge. "Besides, we had the technology, we did rebuild it. When we began the rebuilding process, we went with a G.U.N. base design as well as a prison design-."

"Rouge? I'm not interested in the recent renovations of this place. Just tell me about how we can get out of our cells!"

"That's part of the problem, Big Blue. Each of the concrete walls are 6" thick, and after that, there's 2'-6" of pure steel that are on each of the walls. Even if you were to break down the concrete, the strong steel would stop you. And as for the glass, well, I think you know about that."

"Yeah. Simply touching it will blast you with water."

" _Highly-pressurized water_ ," she corrected. I rolled my eyes at her quip. "All water will stay in the cell until midnight when they are all drained. The more reckless and suicidal prisoners could fill up the cell to its brim and drown. The specifics for the glass is that they're all 2½" thick, but the glass is specially made so that even repeated blows to it, say something like Knuckie's hard punches, wouldn't shatter it, much less crack or chip it. Whenever the prisoner touches the pane, he/she will get a rough shower the moment they touch it. In addition, it's extremely sensitive to temperature. Each cell is adjusted to the captive's species and that species' average bodily temperature. When a captive touches the glass with any part of his/her body, energy is transferred, and transfer of energy means heat. When that happens, you get a rough shower. Are you still with me, Big Blue?" I shook my head. Even though I wasn't a science nerd by any stretch of the imagination, her logic sounded factual. "So when the captive physically touches the glass, that's why the inmate gets hosed. These cells were made specifically for the worst criminals on the planet. In theory, escape is impossible."

" _In theory_ ," I said optimistically. "Is there any kind of flaw in the design? There's always a flaw in everything made! Even Tails' best inventions have imperfections."

She shook her head. "If there is one, then I don't know about it. We're on our own with this, Big Blue." I angrily moaned and hung my head, burying my face into my right hand. I tapped my submerged foot feverishly, trying to think of anything. "And it doesn't help that we had our Chaos Emeralds and the majority of our equipment taken from us when we got thrown in here."

"Equipment? Chaos Emeralds? What are you talking about?" Amy asked.

"Babe, I'll explain this all in detail at a later time. And Rouge, if he took all of our equipment, then how'd you sneak in the voice recorder?"

"With me, they didn't do a thorough enough cavity search. I had it tucked in between my boo-."

"NEVER MIND!" I yelled. "I get it."

"Well, you asked."

"Yeah, I know," I embarrassingly replied. "Don't remind me."

There was an itch on the back of my head in between my quills, so I used my right hand to get at it. I felt something like a pointy rock was in quills, so I pulled out the object. I surveyed in my hand and-. Oh, right. I forgot that I put the diamond from Amy's wedding ring between my quills when I was at the house. The little rock that should be on Amy's ring was now broken off. Wait. Broken… diamond… glass… THAT'S IT!

"Rouge!" I yelled enthusiastically.

"What is it?"

"Diamonds!"

"Yes, Blue, I know all about the jewel, but this is not the time to strike up a conversation about them, even if it is me!"

"Diamonds. They're stronger and more durable than glass, right?!"

"Yeah. So?"

"Say stronger than these glass walls?!"

"Easily. Why do you ask?" I grinned and showed her the precious jewel in between my fingers. When she saw it, she cocked an eyebrow and said, "How, when, and where did you get your mitts on a diamond?"

"It's Amy's diamond. This broke off of her wedding band when she was attacked!"

"Wait, you have my diamond?" asked Amy.

"Yeah. I found it when I was at the house after I got your distress call, babe. I put in my quills so I could give it back to you later, but now I think I just found our ticket out of here! Rouge, you said anything that was alive would trigger the super-soaking, right?"

"Yeah. Hold on… what are you thinking?"

"Diamonds aren't living organisms. They don't have a… what did you say? A bodily temperature?" She nodded. "Maybe I can channel my speed to vibrate the diamond and use it as a glasscutter. I just need to test my theory first." I nestled the diamond between my thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger of my right hand and slowly approached the glass wall. Upon touching it, I didn't get a violent super-soaking, and that made me smile. "Guys, watch this," I said arrogantly. Everyone in the room watched with anticipation and smiles, except for Shadow. He just had cocked his eyebrow curiously.

I started to shake my hand feverishly, putting more and more vibration power into it, and therefore, the diamond. There wasn't water getting blasted onto me, and the vibration of the glass and jewel was causing a loud vibration. The vibration was so loud that everyone tried to cover their ears to protect their eardrums from rupturing. The pane began to crack in a few directions, but it soon fanned out when I vibrated faster and faster, and faster! And faster! AND FASTER!

I stopped for a moment and viewed the pane, ready for the final blow. I put my wife's diamond in my glove, I balled up my fist, and swung, catching the glass head-on, and it shattered upon impact.

'Escape is impossible.' Yeah right!

The pooled water was now flowing out, and it caught me in its current, dragging me out into the open room. When I got up, the group cheered for me loudly. I smirked at all of them.

"And you guys doubted me," I said proudly as I brushed off the pieces of glass.

"GET US OUT!" they all screamed.

"No problem. Rouge, Shadow, I don't suppose you know the code to spring the rest of you, do you?" I asked as I approached the console.

"It's just like one in Shamar when we found Shadow. The console has a four-digit passcode. Once put in, all the doors will open. As for what the passcode is specifically… well, you're on your own on that one."

"In that, case, I'll try all of them. All 10,000 of 'em."

As I blurred through every code from 0-0-0-0 to 9-9-9-9, Knuckles asked, "How do you know that there's 10,000 possible combinations?"

"Simple mathematics, Knux," I replied as I continued my rapid code-breaking. "There are ten digits per part of the combination, and there are four parts to the combination. It's only ten times ten times ten times ten, or 10^4. Ten times ten is 100, times another ten is 1,000, and finally, 1,000 times the final ten is 10,000. Got all that, Knucklehead?"

"Math was never my forte." Thinking logically was _never_ your forte, Knucklehead. "I'll just take your word for it." Just as he ended his reply, the consoled beeped positively.

"Got it!" 1-9-9-1, only ten combination possibilities from Shadow's cell back at the desert palace.

The glass doors for the rest of the cells all hissed, then moved down underneath the floor. To my left, I saw Amy get out, looking at me all the way and smiling angelically. I stepped away from the console and ran toward her, but stopping right in front of her face.

Ohhhhh, _that look_. It was that one look she always gave me whenever I saved her. Now it was the same look she had given me almost every single day that we were dating and through marriage. For the last few days, I hadn't been able to see those jade green jewels, knowing that the only thing that they told me was how much she adored me. I smiled warmly back at her, returning the favor the best that I could. My right hand cupped itself and held her face as tears came from her beautiful jade green daggers. With the other hand, I wiped them away. She sniffled and put her arms around my back, squeezing me tightly.

I returned the favor once more, putting my left arm around her lower back and my right arm around her upper back with that arm's hand holding her head against mine as she cried sweet tears of joy that had now found their way to my eyes as well. Our heads bowed, touching each other as we enjoyed what was our most intimate moment in what felt like years. I didn't need to remind myself that I missed her like crazy. Having her in my arms was once something that I had thought I would never be able to have again. And now that she was back in them, I was overjoyed. It was as if a part of me had died, but was now resurrected.

"Titus… he told me you were d-d-dead."

"Shhhh." I was hushing her as quietly as I could, kissing her on the forehead.

"But I didn't believe him. I knew you'd find me! I knew it!"

"I always do, don't I?"

She looked up to me and put a kiss on my lips. Ohhhhhh, that's the stuff. I returned it, pulling her in closer than we already were, re-gripping her head to get better leverage. Her arms made their way up to my neck, where they hung tightly. The taste was a taste of sweet and salty. The tears we cried made up the salty part, but it was overtaken by her strawberry-flavored lips. It was amazing that even after all she's been through, that she was still able to taste like the delicious berry.

I pulled back. She looked at me as if she had done something she shouldn't have. "It wasn't anything you did, babe. It's just that you aren't the only person I planned on getting out of here today."

"Right. The kids."

"Exactly. So with that-."

Shadow had Maria around his left arm, but with free hand, patted me on the shoulder as he passed us by. "You never cease to surprise me, blue hedgehog," he said.

"Gee, where have I heard that line before?" I arrogantly replied.

I turned my attention to Rouge, who was dipped and kissed by Big Red. Jeez, and my friends have called _me_ the show-off. "Rouge, Knux, I don't know if you know this, but we've got a little man and a few girls to spring too, so if you don't mind?" They stopped what they were doing and looked at me all nervous-like. SMH. That's all I could do given the situation.

"Okay then. Rouge, Shadow, how well do you know this place?" I asked wanting to get down to business.

"I know it better than Shadow," Rouge stated with Knuckles holding her hand.

"That doesn't mean that I don't know it," retorted Shadow, defending himself.

"Well, I don't care who knows it better! All I want to do now is get the kids and get the hell out of here. With that said, where are the kids being held?"

"When we saw them getting tortured," started the bat, "I picked up on a few of the rooms' more noticeable landmarks."

"Meaning you know where they are?"

"Bottom floor. Psychiatric wing. We hold the real crazies down there. We use it to try and rehabilitate said crazies." I had to admit; it made sense that if you were going to mentally break someone and try and rebuild them, that would be the place to do it.

"And our gear? I'm willing to bet that it all isn't down there with the kids."

"That's in another section of the facility," stated Shadow. "The island has its own evidence lockup. Our gear and the Emeralds are probably there."

"Okay then. We can't risk Titus keeping them. Lord knows what might happen then."

"So what's the plan for getting us out of here?" asked Maria.

"First, Maria, Amy, and Knuckles? I know you look worse for wear, but are you able to fight? With what we need to do, there's a decent likelihood that fisticuffs may need to be used, should it become necessary. Are you able to fight?"

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get us _all_ out of here," stated Knuckles.

"Same goes for me," said Maria.

"Make that three," said Amy.

"Alright then. Here's my plan. We need to split up. Shadow, you take Maria with you to go and get our gear and the Emeralds. You said you know where it is, right, Shadow?"

"I said that they were in evidence lockup, didn't I, faker?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Rouge, Knux, Amy? You're with me. We're going downstairs to get our kids. Where should we rendezvous, Rouge?"

"The lobby. It's the level just beneath the surface. Fifteen minutes sound good?"

"That'll be more than enough time for us," said Shadow confidently.

"Sounds good. Rouge, can you contact Eggman? We might need some heavy firepower if the situation calls for it."

"He's on standby right now. Shouldn't take him long to get here with a robotic army."

"Eggman?" yelled Amy. "What's he got to do with this?"

"I'll explain later, beautiful. Okay, Shadow, Rouge, do you're comms work?"

"Yes," they both said.

"Alright. Keep 'em on in case things get sticky on any of our ends. Okay people, let's move." We made a break for the door and opened it silently. No guards waiting for us at the door since we escaped? "Shadow, I was expecting guards when we escaped. Where are the freaking guards? Hell, i didn't even hear an alarm go off when I broke out of my cell!"

"The cells were made under the assumption that they were unescapable, so there wasn't any alarm system installed for them."

"Wow… all this security put into a new Prison Island, keyword _PRISON_ , and they still didn't put in a freaking alarm system. Sheesh."

"Faker, you can file a complaint later!"

"Right. See you soon."

With that, we split off into our teams. Mr. and Mrs. Ultimate Lifeform went left, whereas the rest of us went right. Security was tight. Rouge knew the building as well as she claimed, ducking us in cover many a time… and that was just on the way to the elevator!

As it turned out, the elevator needed a keycard to access it, so Rouge snuck behind a gun-wielding guard and knocked him out, taking his badge, and his 9mm pistol.

"A girl can never be too careful," she said as she cocked her newly-acquired sidearm.

"Whatever works for you, batsy," I responded.

She used the badge and we gained access to the elevator. With a push of a button, we descended deeper into the base, keeping a finger on the "Door Close" button the entire trip. The door opened for the basement and we silently stepped out. There weren't any guards at the door. Rouge signaled us to go. We went through a pair of double doors that read, "PSYCHIATRIC WARD" above both sets. Showtime.

We cautiously went through. Another case of very little security.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! PLEASE STOP! PLEEEEEASE! AHHHHHHHH!"

MELANIE!

In a flash, my Dark side emerged. My body violently shaking, my white-gloved hands ready to be stained with crimson blood. Before I could move, Amy grabbed my arm. I looked back at her angrily.

"I don't want you to kill them, baby. The kids don't need to see that, but I do want you to give 'em hell."

I chuckled menacingly and cracked my knuckles. "One hell-raising coming right up!"

I turned away and could faintly hear Rouge ask Amy if I needed help. "He's got this," my wife said.

The room itself was large. The entire ward was a part of the large room below us, and the ward's ceiling was clear glass. It gave me a good look of the entire wing. Emma, Desi, and Coby were all resting in their own cells, crying their hearts out and looking worse for wear. Then I saw two men pushing my girl around on a treadmill, making her run. "Faster! Faster!" they yelled. "I said, 'Faster,' dammit!"

SMACK!

"HOW DARE YOU STRIKE MY LITTLE GIRL!" My voice was loud and booming. Even through the glass, they heard my yell and turned around to show faces of pure fear as they saw me in all my Dark wickedness. I blasted through the glass ceiling. I walked quickly up to them with my blank white eyes staring them both down, showing my teeth, growling. They backed away and tried to run, but I was too quick, zooming to grab them and throw them to the ground, walking up to them and standing over them.

"DID YOU STRIKE MY PRINCESS?" I asked. They were too scared to answer. "I SAID, 'DID YOU STRIKE MY PRINCESS?'?!"

"Uh, he did it," said one, nervously pointing to the other.

I grabbed them both by their throats and held them up high. I smirked and threw them through some nearby drywall and they crashed ungracefully. A few others came out to see what the commotion was, and they stopped dead in their tracks when they saw me.

"Run!" one screamed when she saw me.

Don't mind if _I_ do!

I blasted from torturer to torturer, punching them hard into the ground, cracking skulls together to render them unconscious. And with the last one, heh, I punted his head, and he landed hard onto the floor. Another group burst through the door, but I quickly lowered my guard when I found out it was my wife and friends. I turned off my Dark side and went back to my daughter, now quivering in fear in a corner of the room.

"Melanie!" I said. She heard her daddy's voice clear as day. She looked up with tears running down her face.

"Daddy!" She got up and started to run towards me, but her legs gave out, so I ran for her, catching her before she fell to the floor, hugging her tightly. "Daddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddy! They hurt me, daddy! THEY HURT ME!" She cried her beautiful, little soul out as she buried her face into my shoulder. I stroked her small back and kissed her on the forehead.

"They aren't going to hurt you anymore, sweety. Daddy took care of 'em. You're safe now, Mel." She continued to cry. "Melanie, look at me. Look at me please, princess." She honored my wish and looked me in the eyes. I loved that she had her mother's jade green eyes. "I'm here. Daddy's here. Mommy's here too."

"M-Mommy?"

"You bet, princess. Let's go see her." I began to walk with my youngest in my arms, kissing her forehead and stroking her quills, trying to calm her down. I turned the corner to see Amy, Rouge, and Knuckles at the gates of my two other kids and Emma. Amy conjured up her hammer and knocked the lock off of Desi's cell door, Knuckles punched off the lock to Coby's cell, and Rouge shot off a bullet, shattering the lock to Emma's cell. The BANG from her pistol caused Melanie to scream and cry again, but I calmed her down.

The adults went in each came out with a child. Knuckles gave Coby to me with my free right arm. "Dad!"

"Cobalt! Ames, you got De-?"

"Got her!" My wife walked my way with Desiree in her arms. My oldest daughter's face lit up when she saw me.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, pumpkin!"

When we converged, Ames and I both took it down to our knees, releasing our kids for a split second, only to gather them up for a long-overdue family group hug.

"We're alright guys." I kissed Desi's sweet head, then Coby's. "We're all alright," I said as I started to cry. Like it was with Amy, there was a time that I had believed that I'd never see them again, but here we were. Amy and I kissed briefly and comforted our kids, who wanted, scratch that, _needed_ their parents' love.

I turned away for a second to see the same with Knuckles and Rouge with little Emerald crying her eyes out and getting the much-needed love from her parents.

"Dad! I want to go home!" screamed Coby.

"We will, buddy. We're on our way home now." I said to Rouge, "Rouge, how's Shadow doing?"

"Let me check. Shadow, how are you doing?" *** "Alright, we're on our way up now." *** "Yes, the kids are all safe." She turned back to me. "They'll be in the lobby in just a minute." *** "Wait, hold on." *** "Oh, boy… Sonic, we've got a problem."

"What kind of a problem, Rouge?"

"Shadow and Maria have been discovered. We need to get up there now!"

"Understood. Kids? Grab onto me and your mom." Cobalt clung onto me, as did Melanie, while Desiree was being held by mom. "Let's go people!"

We ran out of the ward and back into the elevator, punching the button for the lobby.

"Shadow says he's just entered the lobby, but he's got some company following close behind."

"Couldn't he have just warped away from them?"

"Or to us?"

"That too. Okay, so we need to keep the kids out of their reach, so be prepared to fight."

"When aren't we ready?" asked Knuckles.

"That's the spirit," I replied.

The door opened and we ran out looking feverishly for Shadow and Maria. "Up there!" said Rouge, pointing to the upper level of the lobby. Shadow and Maria were fending off a few guards, dodging fire. Maria pointed out to her husband that we were here, and they jumped down to us.

"You found them!" exclaimed Maria.

"Thanks for noticing," I said. "Now let's get out of here!"

"Chaos-!" Shadow was cut off when an assault rifle's butt was rammed into his head, forcing to drop a few of the Emeralds. Knuckles quickly recovered them as he set down Emma for a split second. A few more guards rushed us, and we went to work, beginning a small brawl for those willing to challenge us. Shadow recovered and got to his feet, knocking out one guard as Amy and I let our kids go, but putting them behind us to protect them. Before we knew it, Shadow, Maria, Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, and I were all circled around the four kids with all of our backs to a wall, protecting them from the fight as best we could, knocking out dumb, single challengers.

"ENOUGH!" bellowed a loud voice on the P.A. system. This distracted us long enough for a few snipers up on the upper level that Maria and Shadow were just on to point their rifles at us. "DON'T MOVE!" ordered the loud voice again. I looked around to see where it was coming from, and I saw Max Titus on the other side of a glass window on a high level on a close wall, overlooking us and speaking through a microphone on his suit that fed into the P.A. system. As that happened, more G.U.N. troops came into the lobby, and the large mass of them encircled us. They pointed their guns at us, backing us into a wall.

"Well, well, well. I have to say, you are resourceful," he spat. "How did you manage to get out those cells?!"

"You think that a stupid cell can hold me!" I yelled. "That wasn't the first time I've gotten out of one!"

"So I see."

Rouge was whispering something in the background. It sounded like "south wall", "top floor", and finally "thirty seconds". I was putting good money on Rouge calling for the doc, giving him our location. I just needed to stall Titus a bit longer until the cavalry came.

"I don't suppose you've given any consideration to my offer, have you?"

"Well, we have our kids back, so I think we'll reject that _kind and wonderful_ offer," I replied.

"Oh, you'll give them back. You won't have a choice. Otherwise these snipers on the higher ground are going to have to relieve you of your lives, and I wouldn't want to see your kids see their parents die."

"Shadow," I whispered. "Reach into the suits and grab the smoke bombs. I have an idea." He nodded and began to subtly dig into them.

"Titus, what is the matter with you?! You didn't have to do this, y'know!"

"You gave me no other choice with you, hedgehog. All you needed to do was never leave the agency in the first place!"

"All you needed to do was grow up and be a big boy!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Yeah! All you needed to do was be a big boy and honor my wishes as the noble president that you were elected to be! But no, you just couldn't fathom losing someone like me. Someone that you viewed as your personal soldier! You were just an insane fan-boy, Max! Come to think of it, YOU STILL ARE!"

"This is your last chance, Sonic! It's either you and your friends work for me, or I end your life and have your kids do my bidding!"

"Is Eggman ready, Rouge?" I whispered. She nodded.

"Make your choice!"

"You got the smoke bombs ready?" I whispered. Shadow nodded.

"What's your choice?!"

"I'm going to say that you're not going to have the chance to have _any_ of us!"

"And why is that?"

"Because we called in a big favor from Dr. Eggman. He's got a small robot army that he'd hidden away for a rainy day, waiting right outside this wall. Rouge! Now!"

"Go, doc!"

I got the kids out of the way of Eggman's entrance just before a loud BOOM enveloped the room, dazing the guards. The walls behind us began to crumble down toward the sea-cliffs and the ocean behind and below us. I quickly turned around to see a few of Eggman's mechs flying through the new opening and they began blasting away at the crowd, but were as quickly gunned down by the snipers as soon as they entered the room.

"Shadow, smoke bombs!" He tossed them in front of us and ran around quickly to spread the smoke like the Gospel News on a Sunday morning, giving us some cover.

"Stop shooting!" ordered Titus.

"Rouge! Call Eggman down here to get the kids out of here!"

"Sonic, are you crazy?!" asked Amy.

"Trust me, darlin', he's on our side this time!"

"What?!"

"I'll explain later! Rouge tell him to get the kids-."

Suddenly a man ran through the smoke and plucked one of the kids.

EMMA.

"Heeeeeeeeeeelp!"

"Emma!" screamed her parents. Another two guards hit them to the ground as their daughter was getting taken away. Those guards were taken down by Shadow via head-smashing.

"Oh, no you-!" Suddenly a WHOOSH was felt by me. Wait, where was Cobalt?! I looked in the directing the wind was going and I saw my son going after Emma.

"Cobalt! Stop!" Instead of stopping at my order, he rolled up into a ball and revved up. "He's going after her!" He let it rip and rolled quickly into the guard, knocking out his legs from underneath him. That caused Emma to be let free, and Cobalt spring-boarded off another guard's face into the air, catching Emma and sliding back into the cloud of smoke. HE let her go, but not before forcing her to let go of her grip on him.

"My hero!" Emma said, as she kissed his cheek. He thought it was disgusting.

"That's my boy!" I yelled. I ran to him and said, "Don't ever do _anything_ dangerous like that ever again, alright, sport?"

"Hey, she's my friend!" Maybe even more than that…

A whirring was heard outside of the smoke where I saw Eggman in his Eggmobile. Since everyone else was fighting guards in the smoke, I grabbed Coby, Emma, Desi, and Mel and put them all in his ship.

"What's this?" the doctor asked.

"Take the kids away from the fight, alright? Go to Mobotropolis and get them out of here! We'll meet up with you there, okay?"

"You got it."

"Now go!" With that, he zoomed away.

"DID YOU JUST GIVE EGGMAN OUR KIDS?!" screamed Amy as she was dealing a big man.

"You got to trust me, Ames. I know what I'm doing," I said as I kicked her attacker right in the happy zone. "Besides, he knows what I'll do to him if he breaks his promise."

"Promise?!"

"Like I said, babe, I'll explain it all later. Until then, we got a fight to win! Shadow, Knuckles, can we each get a Chaos Emerald? It might help even the odds!"

"You got it!" they said as they each threw an attacker down and punched their lights out. We each caught one and took in some Chaos energy.

"Alright, guys! Shadow, let's kick this show off with some Rev 'n' Rock!"

We locked eyes as his smirk matched mine. We revved up and blasted into the crowd, sending a few agents flying or at least tripping them up. We both stopped at a wall and propelled ourselves off of it, rolling up for our Homing Attacks. A quick fury of cranial strikes to those we had affected previously occurred soon after, rending them unconscious, leaving little doubt that they'd all wake up with headaches and mild concussions.

I bounced off one goon to go another direction, the direction of the snipers. They had taken aim and shot at us, but all six of them were still standing, missing my wife and friends, but their bullets caught a few of their brethren's legs. Having propelled my way up there, I took one of the sniper's rifles away. I never liked using the things, mainly because I could accidentally kill someone with it, but I knew that wasn't going to be the case. Everyone in this room would be going down for their roles in this maniacal endeavor.

Instead of using the guns to end their lives, I threw it away and zoomed at them, stealing every sniper's rifle, and promptly throwing them out of the gaping hole in the wall that Eggman had made for us that was a one-way gateway to the ocean and sea cliffs below. I raced back up there to deal with them myself, throwing them off the higher ground onto some of their comrades, and a few more I K.O.'d with nicely-placed head punches and a roundhouse kick to the cranial temple, namely the last one of them that sent his head into the guard-railing as he went down.

I heard a scream come from my wife and I blasted back down to her and threw off the man trying to knock her out. I pinned him to the ground and with one well Homing Attack…

CRACK!

"AHHHHH! My leg!"

"That's what you get for hurting my wife!" I screamed into his ear. I capped him off with a punt to the head, knocking him unconscious. As more men enclosed on Amy and me, I said, "What would you do without me?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said. She stopped to connect her Piko Piko Hammer to a man's ribcage. I heard a loud CRACK and subsequent scream come from her attacker. "I'd probably be dead at Stardust Speedway if it wasn't for you, Sonic Warrior," she arrogantly shot back. And here I thought I was the only one to be witty in the face of danger. It was another one of the reasons why I loved her. She could be just as witty as I could be, even in a seemingly bleak situation.

"Hey, Ames! It's my turn with the hammer!" She quickly tossed to me and I spun around feverishly like a top with it in my hands. I went into the crowd of people and said, "Hey, babe! Look at 'em fly!" I said as they went all sorts of upward directions as I hit them, all landing unceremoniously.

When I was done, I threw it back to Amy, who upon catching it, used its staff as a blunt object, connecting the end with an attacker's stomach. The jab knocked the breath out of him, and made him go down to one knee. Amy re-gripped it and swung it like a 9-iron, sending him back and out for the count.

"FORE!" she yelled.

"Sorry, you'll have to play for the bogey!" I shot back.

"Less snappy comebacks, more people smashing." Pfft. Party-pooper. No cake for you.

"Right," I said nervously. Another man cocked a pistol and put it to my head. Son-of-a…

"Say your prayers, hedgehog."

I smirked and quickly kicked the gun out of his hand and kneed him in the jaw. The kneeing sent him back and into Knuckles, who used his namesake right on the man's face, breaking his nose judging by the crunch that I had heard upon impact. Afterwards, my emerald-guarding friend shook his hand as if he had hurt it.

"Getting brittle in your old age, Knucklehead?" I said as I grabbed a would-be attacker's leg and threw him towards my friend.

"Are you kidding?!" he screamed as he laid an uppercut on the dude I threw at him. "I haven't felt this great in years!"

A few men surrounded us with drawn pistols, about eleven, no twelve of 'em. "Hey, Knux… Fire Dunk!" I jumped backwards toward him and curled up into a ball. He jumped straight up and grabbed me with his right mitt and threw me down as I blasted out a Chaos Blast to send them to the ground with a mighty shockwave.

I hopped back up into a fighting stance and a few more big guys charged us. Knux put his fighting skills to good use, tripping them up and punching them in their arms hard enough to break them in two, whereas I threw in a Blue Tornado to send them flying like pigeons, but falling to the ground like rocks.

"Let's do it again!" Knuckles screamed. I nodded and jumped up to his right hand as he slammed me down again, this time in the vicinity of Maria, Rouge, and Shadow. After the ensuing shockwave, the butt of a gun hit me in the back of the skull, knocking me back down. I tried to get up, but a boot pinned me down as it stayed on my back. I turned my head to see him point a gun at my skull.

"I'm sorry to do this, Sonic, but I have my orders. Say goodnight, Gracie," the agent said. "AHHH!" A well-aimed Chaos Spear went through his shoulder, giving me the chance to throw him off and have Rouge drop a fist on him as she flew in.

"Just like old times, eh, Blue?" she said as more rushed us.

I replied through my punches, "Loads of mindless henchmen trying to kill us, our lives in grave danger, the world's fate hanging in the balance, and a bad guy hiding behind his army… yep, just like old times. Shadow, Maria, how're you two holdin' up?"

"Are you kidding?!" screamed Shadow. "None of these creeps even holds a candle to me!"

"Shadow, a little help?!" begged Maria as she was getting overpowered.

"Chaos Control!" Shadow warped away for a split-second and reappeared behind his wife's attacker, broke his arm, and punched him out.

We were doing just fine. The plethora of G.U.N. agents that were sent after us was dwindling big-time. The men that were in the back of the room waiting their turns for a piece of us were getting taken down by the doctor's robots, but were quickly decimated. Still, the damage was done, and only a few dozen remained.

"SONIC!" Amy screaming my name in a fight? That can't be good.

I looked her way and found her taking a few too many hits from three men.

"GET WAY FROM HER!" I screamed as I went Dark. I zoomed my way to her and took one of her attackers off of her, stomping viciously on his male member, getting a loud scream from him as he held what was left of it. The second one I grabbed by his neck and stared him down as I choke-slammed him down to the floor, cracking the marble floor in the process. And finally for the last attacker, he let go of my wife and charged at me with a tactical knife and swiped at my abdomen, missing everything. I grabbed his wrist and broke it, earning a scream from him. He dropped the knife because of it. For my finale, I grabbed him by his shirt and threw him… far. Where did he land? Right in Titus' lap on that higher ground, breaking the glass that separated him from the warzone. He looked down at my handiwork and then to me with a scared face. It was time to end this.

"TITUS!" I screamed. He panicked and screamed at his armed guards, and they escorted him out. I turned back to my friends and said, "I'M GOING AFTER TITUS. CAN YOU GUYS HANDLE THE REST OF THEM?"

"Hold on, Sonic!" said Rouge. She plucked her earpiece/communicator from her big ear and threw it to me. "Just in case we need you!" A large group of armed men entered the room for round two. "We can handle them! Go!" I put the earpiece in and zoomed my way up to Titus' upper-level room and smashed the door open.

I ran down the hall and saw him trying to get into an elevator.

"TITUS!"

He looked back and screamed to his guards, "Make sure he doesn't get to me! You have guns, so use them!" The elevator opened and he ran inside.

I gave chase, and one poor, unfortunate soul shot off a single bullet; a single bullet aimed directly at my eye. Much to their horror, I caught the .243 rifle shot with my right hand mere millimeters before it reached my eyes. I then revealed the bullet to them with my unharmed hand. Their faces were absolutely priceless! They looked they had just seen a ghost; absolutely terrified that I was Dark, smiling evilly, walking towards them fearlessly, and all topped off by the fact that I had just caught a bullet that was traveling at 3,746 feet per second (2,554.091 miles per hour).

"I'm still standing," I devilishly said. "What else ya got?"

They shook in fear, unable to pull their triggers. Their breathing intensified more and more as I walked closer to them. Having had enough of their petty panicking, I ran at them and took them all down to the ground. But I wasn't satisfied with that. Of the eight armed goons, I shattered the first seven's pelvises. As for the final one, the one who shot at me, he backed away slowly, but I quickly caught him and grabbed him from behind.

"Do you know what Bane did to Batman?!" I asked with an insane laugh.

"No! No! NO! NO!"

"HE BROKE HIS BACK!" I lifted him up by his government-approved jacket and pants until he was directly above me. With one fell swoop, I threw him down and bent my right knee sharply. That's when it happened.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

His spine snapped like a pack of uncooked spaghetti. "AHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed loudly amid his tears as he held his back in agony.

"Oh, shut up!" I screamed as I took one of his teammate's electrical stun-sticks, turned it on, and shoved it into his already broken back. After a loud scream, he succumbed to the shear shock of it all (rimshot) and he slipped into unconsciousness. I turned my attention to the elevator, and forced the doors open. I looked up the shaft and ran up it. I had seen him go up, and since I was, by definition, still on the lobby floor, I was still underground, and I saw the little indicator above the elevator point up before he had gone up.

I burst through the doors and ran out, taking out two armed guards by crashing their skulls together, and they flopped to the floor like a basketball defender trying to sell an offensive charging foul. I burst through another pair of doors and found myself outside. The clear, moonlit sky was gone and was now a cloudy night sky. As I looked around for Max, I saw a tower and a few runways. The top of Prison Island was a large airstrip and airport. When I did find him, he was outside of his large plane, Army One, and he was barking what I imagined were orders to two men dressed to go up in fighter jets. They saluted him and ran off.

"TITUS!" He turned my way and I started to run his way. He shot me a smug look and started to make his way up the stairs to his plane. "I'm taking you down!"

"I don't think so, Sonic!" he proudly proclaimed. "You saw those two pilots I talked to, yes?" I could barely hear him over the sound of his big, ol' jet-airliner, but I nodded to answer him. "They have been given strict orders to fly towards Eggman and shoot him down!" You rotten prick! "Him and the little rodents you call 'offspring'! So it looks like you have a choice, Sonic! Take me out, or save your rodent kids!"

The smug S.O.B. knew what it would take to get me off his case for the moment, and he just had to use my kids as leverage, didn't he?! I knew I wasn't going to get him now, that'd have to be another time in the near future.

"You can run like the coward you are, and you can run for as long as you want, but mark my words, Titus! I will find you! YOU HEAR ME? I WILL FIND YOU!"

"I doubt that! Au revoir!" He entered his plane. Before the door was shut, I noticed the wooden carving of the United Federation seal. I knew for a fact that there were three Army One planes, and all of them had a wood-carved insignia of the United Federation seal, but only one of them had it carved from dark mahogany wood.

I turned my attention to the two planes that were going to fly toward the Egg Carrier, armed with VERY BIG missiles. They started up their countdowns and began moving. I zoomed there and jumped up on the nose of the first jet mid-run. I went to his cockpit window and ripped it off of its hinges and pulled the escape chute. It sent him straight up in the air with his chute deploying. I jumped off of it, and the momentum carried the plane off the island. It exploded when it hit the water, no doubt because of the missiles. The second one flew off the island.

"GET BACK HERE!" I screamed. I grabbed my red Chaos Emerald and shouted, "CHAOS CONTROL!" I warped to the plane mid-flight and grabbed onto it. Due to its torrid pace, I couldn't stand on top of it, so I climbed and crawled my way to the cockpit window and I did the same thing with the first one. I ripped the cockpit window off and I pulled the emergency chute just like I did with the last one. However, the sudden ejection knocked me off the plane, and I was falling toward the salty, ocean waters below. I whipped the magical gem out again. "CHAOS CONTROL!" When I warped, I landed back on Prison Island, and I saw the plane blow up in the distance as it hit the water.

"The things we do for frequent flyer mileage," I said to myself. I did a full-body stretched and felt a few of my joints pop in my ankles and a quick, painful one in my back. I groaned in pain and shook my head. "I don't care if I'm not even 30 years old yet. I'm getting too old for this nonsense."

I looked around for Army One, but it had vanished. Titus, being the coward that he was, used the armed fighter-jets to cover his escape, and there was no sign of him or Army One. Not even a sign of the flashing lights that all big planes like that had. Of course it had to be cloudy as hell when he took off. I knew which plane was carrying him, but there was no point in doing that when the others were still fighting agents downstairs. So in the meantime, I powered down my Dark side.

"Shadow," I said into the communicator that Rouge had lent to me. "How are you guys doing?"

"We could use some help down here! What about the President?!"

"He got away, but not for long. I'm on my way back down now." I whipped the gem out once more and warped back into the large lobby. There were still plenty of guards. I expected more to be dealt with, but one good look at my wife and friends told me that they were getting exhausted from constant fighting.

"Guys!" I called out. "Chaos Emeralds! Now!" They all heard and saw me and were able to get some distance between them and their attackers. I ran down to them from my higher elevation and caught the cyan one from Maria, the green one from Rouge, the yellow one from Knuckles, the purple one from Amy, and Shadow tossed me the blue and white ones. I already had the red one. I let the Emeralds encircle me as I ran around and finally the positive energy came and coursed through my body. With a bright flash, I became Super Sonic once again.

With my bodily stats having risen once again, I began flying and zooming around at unprecedented speeds as I circled the entire room over and over again. As I ran faster and faster, I was knocking out every hostile in the room while avoiding my friends and Amy in the process. They only thing that they could see were agents going down like mosquitoes in a bug-zapper, and a heavenly, gold-lit tornado lighting up the room.

It was down to only one last agent, and I speared him mid-flight and threw him down towards my five partners. Amy sized him up and swung the hammer. It was a perfect connection that sent him flying. As he flew, I said, "This ball's hit a _long_ way, folks! This one has the distance! Get up! Get up! Get outta here!" He landed beyond the railing of the higher grounds of the lobby. "And it is GONE! A home run for Amy Rose-Hedgehog! It's her first one of the year and it is a walk-off winner!"

I turned back to them, with all of them shaking their heads, except for Shadow who just looked at me disapprovingly. It was if he was saying, "Oh, grow up!" Don't be like that, Shadow! I think I earned that man-child moment!

"Who do you think you are?" Amy asked. "Bob Uecker?"

As I floated down to the ground, the Emeralds came out of me and fell to the ground beside me. I took one good look around the massive room and saw nothing but unconscious and broken bodies (and broken Eggman robots). Hundreds, probably thousands of armed men… and we took them all down.

"Guys, great job." They all cheered and hugged their spouses. Amy ran up to me and launched herself at me. I caught her, but her momentum pushed me down to the ground where she rested on top of me. She grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in for big kiss. I returned her gesture by grabbing her waist and bringing her body closer. She moaned with pleasure as I began to rub her side.

"Ahem." We stopped our face-sucking and she got off of me, helping me off the ground. "Are you two done yet?" asked Knuckles. "This is a prison, so there are plenty of rooms here if you need to use one."

"Sorry," both my wife and I said.

"Where's Titus?" asked Shadow impatiently. "Did you say earlier that he got away?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Well, where is he?!" screamed Rouge.

"Calm down, batsy. He only got away because he sent two armed jets to shoot down Eggman and the kids."

"WHAT?!" screamed everyone.

"Cool your jets, guys… er… no pun intended. I took them both out before they could even fire a missile, much less get more than a half-mile off the island. While I was busy dealing with them, Titus boarded one of his Army One planes and left the island. By the time I was done, he was gone."

"So now what?" began Rouge. "It's not like we can reach him while he's mid-flight."

I chuckled and picked up one of the Chaos Emeralds. "Yeah, I'm gonna call B.S. on that one, at least when we still have all seven of these things."

"Well what are we waiting for?" asked Maria. At least she understood my way of thinking.

"Hold it, wife-of-the-Ultimate-Lifeform. We still have a few things we need to do here before we can go for Titus."

"Such as?" asked Shadow.

"First… Rouge, I already told the doctor that he should go to Mobotropolis with the kids and that we'll meet him there. Tell him to go to Mobotropolis International Airport. We'll be waiting for him there or vice versa."

"Alright, but why the airport?"

"Well that's where Army One comes in. We'll need to call ahead to the planetary capital and say that Army One needs to make an unscheduled landing at the aforementioned airport."

"Call ahead?"

"Yeah. When I was on the surface, I saw a control tower that we can use to call ahead for the airport's new, if not unexpected, arrivals."

"Oh. I understand now."

"So, if everyone could grab an Emerald…" They did so, each grabbing one, whereas I had two. "Alright, now interlock arms." Once again, they did so. "Chaos Control."

We warped into the large control tower room where a few men were at the controls. Shadow, Rouge, and Knuckles, quickly disposed of them. "Alright," I began, "I need to place a phone call. Where's a phone I can use?"

"Over here, Sonic," said Maria.

"Thank you!" I said as I walked to it. "Rouge, what's the Commander's cell phone number?"

"120-156-2015." I dialed the number and waited two rings.

"This is the Commander," he began on the other end.

"Hey, boss," I greeted.

"Sonic! It's about time I heard from you! I was starting to get worried. What happened at the Octagon Office?"

"Long story short, we got knocked out and found ourselves locked up at Prison Island. Titus was behind it all, just as we suspected. He was responsible for all of it. The kidnappings, Eggman getting broken out of jail, the Emeralds' theft, and a few more things that go on that long laundry list of crimes. Oh, and we found our families."

"You did?! And Maria…?"

"Yep, she's still kickin'. Hell, I'm looking at her right now." Maria was mouthing something to me. "Oh, Maria says, 'Hi!'."

"Thank heavens she's alright. And the rest of you guys?"

"All are accounted for. The spouses and kids are all alive and safe. Bruised and battered a bit, but it's nothing some rest and relaxation couldn't fix. Anyway, I need to talk to my mom. I assume you're in Mobotropolis, right?"

"Yeah, if you need the Queen, Sonic, she's right here."

"Oh. In that case, put her on!"

A few seconds of illegible dialogue from the other end of the call and…, "Sonic! Son, is that you?! Can you hear me?!"

"Yes, mom, I can hear you. A deaf man could hear you…"

"Are you alright?! Nothing broken?! What about Amy and my grandchildren?!"

"Mom! Slow down, we're all alright! Just calm down!" I playfully said.

"I'm sorry, son. It's just that… that…"

"You had heard that I was dead?"

"Well… yeah!"

"Well, according to G.U.N., I was… but I got better."

"Are Amy and the kids there?"

"Amy is, but the kids aren't."

"But you just said that they were alright, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but that's part of the reason why I need to talk to you. Okay, mom, don't freak out at what I'm about to say next. They are safe, but they're with Eggman right now."

"WHAT IS THAT LUNATIC DOING WITH MY GRANDCHILDREN?! IF HE HURTS THEM, I SWEAR TO ALL THINGS GOOD AND MERCIFUL IN THIS WORLD-!"

"Mom! Calm. Down. I know this'll sound crazy, but Eggman's on our side this time!"

"What?!"

"Mom, take my word for it. He knows what'll happen to him if he doesn't return your grandchildren, much less hurt them more than they already are. There was a brawl at Prison Island, and we needed to get the kids out of there, so I had Eggman get them out and he's on his way to Mobotropolis International Airport as we speak." I turned quickly to the bat. "Right, Rouge?"

"I just got done telling him, Blue."

"Okay, son," said mom. "I trust you."

"Good. Okay, mom? I need you to listen and do what I say. Can you do that?"

"Yes. What do you need?"

"First, since the doctor was on his way to the airport, I need you to call ahead to the control tower there and tell the guys working there that Egghead's coming in, but that he has the kids with him on the aircraft and that our men are not to shoot at his aircraft. If they do that, they'll risk killing the kids and will have to answer to me. Eggman's agreed to let them go safely and turn himself over into custody, okay?"

"Got it. Anything else?"

"Yes. Secondly, as I'm sure the Commander has already told you, Max Titus was behind everything. I'll tell you all the details later, but during the fight we had on Prison Island, he was able to escape, but I know which one of his Army One planes he is on. We'll be on that plane in just a minute."

"You mean you aren't on it now? If you're not on the plane, then where are you?"

"The Prison Island control tower."

"But if it's the air, then how-?"

"Are we going to get on it? Well, Titus was pretty dumb for leaving the Chaos Emeralds with us. It's just a matter of using them to warp us up to him."

"Oh. Chaos Control?"

"Bingo! Like I said, I know which one of the planes he's on, so we'll warp there, take over the plane, and have it land at Mobotropolis. Once we're grounded, we'll need some of the Royal Guard to arrest some people that're inside the plane. We'll have loads of men to get through to get to Titus on that plane."

"Why?"

"Because they're all aiding and abetting an enemy of the Crown. Don't worry, mom. We'll handle them and leave them for the Guard. As for Titus, I'll be seeing to his arrest myself. Also, make sure that from between now and when our two arrivals come in that not a single plane has permission to land or take off from the airport unless it is a life-or-death emergency. Divert them to another location."

"So Eggman's flying in and so is Army One, and no planes land or take off in the meantime. Is there anything else?"

"One last thing. I want you to get as many members of the media and press to the airport as soon as you can. I want the world to see Titus go down for what's he's done."

"Alright. Is that all, son?"

"Yeah. I'll see you when we get there, mom."

"See you then, my son. I love you."

"Love you too, mom. Bye." With that, I hung up the phone.

"How do you know which one of the Army One's is the one that Titus is on?" asked Rouge.

"Easy. Years ago, as a 'thank you' for completing a mission, Max gave me tours of all three of his Army One planes. I distinctly remember each of them have a wood-carving of the U.F. seal right as you walked into the plane, but all three have different kinds of wood for the carvings. One's oak, one's cherry, and the last one's a dark mahogany. That last one I listed is the one he's on right now."

"But how do you know that he's on that one?"

"Because before he boarded, I saw the dark mahogany carving inside the plane, Rouge." She chuckled and smirked.

"You have got some sharp eyes, Blue."

"Well, you drilled the concept of 'being very observant to everything' into my head when you trained me about a decade ago. That stuff never leaves."

"Touché."

"Alright. Well, I think we are done here, guys. So if everyone could rejoin arms?" We did so, still with the Emeralds in our hands. "Alright, ladies and gents, let's finish this. Chaos Control!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _I got this chapter's title from the AC/DC song, "Jailbreak", if you wanted to know._

 _This was my interpretation of how a climactic fight scene for Sonic and the team. It was heavily inspired by something out of the Avengers movies with how teammates will combine their abilities for impressive takedowns. It was also inspired by the awesomeness that is Fall Out Boy's "The Phoenix". That's another song I recommend you listen to._

 _I also understand that this was also the most violent chapter to date, but given that Sonic's wife and kids were tortured extensively and the fact that he was shot at, can you really blame Sonic for snapping a man's spine in two? I sure as hell wouldn't. And don't worry, nobody dies in this chapter. All the carnage and bodies that lay at our heroes' feet when the fighting's done? Yeah, they're all still alive. It's just that shear pain of getting your butt handed to you that made them pass out and faint. And I'm sorry if you don't like all of the violence that this chapter had, much less this story. This story was heavily inspired by Batman comics; I cannot stress that enough._

 _We have one more week until the story's upload is complete. It'll be out next Monday night (10/26). Until then, I'll talk to you later._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA._

 _And for those of you who don't know, Bob Uecker is an actual person. He's the play-by-play radio announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. And don't call the (120) 156-2015 phone number. I don't know whose number it is, or even if it's a live line. It's just a reference to the time it took to fully write and completely edit the story: January 2015 to May 2015._


	23. 23: Mama, I'm Coming Home

**Ch. 23: Mama, I'm Coming Home**

 _***President Titus' POV***_

HOW?! HOW?! IT WAS ALL PERFECT! EVERY DAMN THING WAS PERFECT! HIS DEATH! HIS KIDS! MY PLAN! EVERY LAST STINKIN' DETAIL! IT WAS ALL PERFECT! NOT A SINGLE, FREAKING FLAW IN IT, AND HE STILL CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD TO STOP IT! HOW COME I CAN'T KILL HIM?!

"HOW?!" I screamed as I vented my frustrations on my desk. "How?! How?!"

"Are you done yet?" complained Hex.

"Hector, every little thing was absolutely perfect. PERFECT! Where did I mess up? How could he have broken out of that damn cell when its security was state-of-the-freaking-art!" I slammed my fist back onto my desk, sending a few pens flying. "How?! I was this close, Hex! This. Close. And what did the little rodent do?!"

"He beat you. He embarrassed you." I grabbed a pen and threw it his face, but he never flinched as it missed him completely.

"I just can't figure out he did it!"

"How he beat you?"

"No. I'm trying to figure out why his soufflé turned out better than mine. OF COURSE IT'S ABOUT HOW HE BEAT ME!"

"Well, let's see, Max. Sonic has been saving the planet from global threats for almost two decades now and has amassed a large group of heroic super-friends during that time span that he can rely on to help him save the people that he couldn't save on his own. Not to mention he's seen it all in his life, from Eggman to aliens, he's challenged them all and he hasn't lost once. You challenged the most decorated hero on the planet, and expected to win just because you thought you held all the cards? Well guess what, sir? You may have had a nice straight flush going on, but he trumped your hand with a royal flush of his own. The icing on the cake was that you just had to piss him off as well as the Ultimate Lifeform and G.U.N.'s best agent by trying to kill them too, taking their families, and harming their kids in more ways than just physically. Not to mention that you also plotted to kill Sonic's mother, _the Queen of the whole freaking planet_ , his sister, and his brother, and use the heroes' own kids to do the deed… I've said too much, and I can see that I'm not getting through to you."

"But that doesn't explain how he was able to do it!"

He scoffed. "You're still wondering how he did it?! You underestimated him! By a long-shot at that! You took away everything from him, and you didn't cover your tracks well enough. You did not have enough contingencies in place to stop him or his friends and family, and like I said earlier, you pissed him off something fierce. I wouldn't be too surprised if he said that of all the people that he's had the pleasure, or displeasure of meeting as is your case, you would be at the top of his list of who can aggravate him the most. And when Sonic the Hedgehog has it out for you… well, it just goes back to underestimating him.

"He was more than capable to survive it all, and he did. You took the two things that he held dear most to him: his family and his friends. I'll say for the record, that using loved ones as leverage is a good strategy, but while you did that, you also made the most powerful hero and his friends the most desperate people, not just on the planet, but in the whole damn universe. Desperation makes a man do things he isn't proud of. It's a powerful thing, Max, and you gave him that out, but even that wasn't your biggest mistake. You made him incredibly desperate and even more dangerous than he already was. He survived it all. You're biggest mistake was thinking that you could beat him. If a man with an IQ of 300 couldn't do it, on multiple occasions at that, if invading alien armies couldn't do it, or if gods with the power to wipe out all living things on the planet could not hold him down, then what made you think that you could do it? I'd love to know, Max. I'd _really_ love to know."

"Are you done preaching, _Father_?! *SIGH* It was because I had him. I had him at my mercy. I had him trapped and surrounded. I thought of everything to try and kill him."

"And look how well that turned out! Now, you're running away like a cowardly schoolgirl instead of facing him like man, all because you couldn't comprehend the thought of him walking away from the agency. Y'know, when he said that he'd find you, he didn't just say those words like they were piss-in-the-wind. He _will_ find you, and he won't stop until he has you at his mercy. Scratch that, he already does if you're trying to run away from him."

"And I'll keep running, whatever it takes."

"And how do you think you could do that?"

"This plane can get refueled in mid-air! We can be up here for as long as we want!"

"I think that-. Scratch that, I _know_ that we'd all run out of supplies on this plane before too long. We'd run out of food, water, patience, and sanity quickly if we did that. This plane can't stay airborne forever, Max. You and I both know that. The one thing that he has now, since he's got everything back, is time. It's only a matter of time until he gets you and makes you pay. And considering you were plotting to kill off members of the royal family and take this planet for yourself, which is TREASON, a law that when broken will lead to _death_ , just because you couldn't come to terms with your little one-man-army-corps up and leaving you, not to mention Sonic's highly documented hatred of waiting around, I'd say that you'd better start picking out which vein you want to be injected with those lethal liquids in the syringes. You might as well start picking out a grave plot while you're at it. Lord knows that because I've helped you try this pointless endeavor, I'll have to die too. But I'll be damned if I can't go out as my own man. But with what I've done, and the part that I've played, I'm a damned man either way."

"Oh, stop preaching, will you? He can't get us! There's no way!"

"What did I just say about underestimating him, or are you that far into denial? Pfft. Some 'man of the people' you turned out to be. Running away like a chicken."

"I will not be brought in by that rodent. I have diplomatic imm-."

"You think that politics can save you considering your own political view on Sonic was the very thing that got us all into this mess?! That doesn't count for jack-squat to the heir of the throne of Mobius! He won't care how high or low you are on the food chain; he'll find you, and he will take you down… _hard_. And when he does, you'll have no one that would want to stick up for you. None of your secret servicemen, not the lawyer that they'll appoint to you, and you sure as hell won't have me."

"Where are you going?!" I screamed as he walked slowly toward the door.

"I'm not going to stand with you in the same room when you get brought in. You're on your own, _sir_ ," he spat.

"Hex, I'm ordering you to-." The plane suddenly changed directions on us, then a loud feedback sound came over the P.A. system that made me wince in pain as I covered my ears. "Now what?!" There were two taps; that meant that a microphone was tapped twice to make sure that it was working, especially if there was feedback to go along with it.

"Hello, Titus."

NO!

NO!

NO!

HE CAN'T BE HERE! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! IT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE! HE CAN'T BE HERE! HE JUST CAN'T!

"Remember meeeee?" His tone… it sounded so unlike his usual arrogant tone.

"I'll leave you two to your talk, Mr. President," said Hex, with a smirk, as he left the room.

The security camera in my office focused on me. Suddenly, the television on the other side of the room turned on, revealing him and his friends… and he looked happy, but with a darker tone.

"I see you, Maaaax. I can see you! Oh, and you look so scared in your little office! I can see the sweat just running off of your head right now!"

"How… How?!"

"'How' what, Max? Is it because you left us to die on Prison Island? Or maybe it was because we boarded the plane mid-flight?"

"Stay away from me, Sonic! You hear me?! Stay away! If you don't, then I'll… then I'll… then I'll… uh…" Think of something, Max! Anything! "Guards! We have intruders in the cockpit!"

"They couldn't save you even if they wanted to, Max."

"Wh-Why do you say that?"

"Let me show you," he said smugly. "Rouge?" I heard a few typing sounds come from his end of the call. The next thing I saw on T.V. made me more fearful than I already was. It was every last person on the plane, outside of Hex and me, and they were all unconscious, gagged, and tied up in the main hangar of the plane, the same room that had the lowering door in the back.

"Everyone from your secret servicemen to the lowly chefs are all tied up, Titus. They're all going down for aiding and abetting a known fugitive… a fugitive who's going to have one hell of a rap sheet when I bring him into custody."

"Please, Sonic! Stay away!"

"After what you've done to us and our children?! Ohhhhh no, Max. Remember what I said earlier about how I promised that I'd find you? Well, guess who found you! Oh, you look so pathetic when you're panicking and cowering like a child! Hey! Now that's an idea! I'm going to make you hurt and suffer just as much as you hurt my kids!"

"What?! No!"

"No, you see, that'd be the perfect case of 'what goes around, comes around'! Hell, I'll make you the poster-child for it!"

"Please, Sonic! Stay away!"

"Now you're just repeating yourself."

"Enough games!"

"Games? You want to play games? I know a game we can both play. I'll even come to you and play."

"Please don't!"

"Oh, but I want to, and so do you since you brought it up! Hold tight, Titus!" He got in closer to the camera. "I'll be right there," he said evilly as he shut it off.

 _***Sonic's POV***_

I shut off the camera. I turned to my friends and said, "Shadow, I assume you can fly us safely to Mobotropolis International?"

"As if you need to ask," he retorted.

"Amy?" I asked. "You're with me. Everyone else, hold tight. I have some business to deal with. Let's go, babe."

I scooped her up in my arms and zoomed away to his office door, where a familiar face stood casually outside.

"Hex," I said.

"Hey, Blue."

"You have a lot-."

"Yeah, I know, Sonic. Trust me, I know; I have a lot to answer for. I never wanted to go along with it, and I regret everything that I've done."

"It's too late for apologies, Hector."

"I know. I'm willing to be the bigger man and accept that my punishment." His eyes told me that he was telling the truth.

"Then I take it you know where to go?"

"Yeah, the hangar. I'll leave you to Titus, Sonic." With that, he began to walk away towards the rest of his fugitive-aiders. With that one gone without a problem, it was time for Max.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Pizza delivery!"

"No!" he screamed. "No! Don't come in!"

"But I have a large sausage and onion pizza with extra cheese for Maximilian Joseph Titus!" I motioned with my head for Amy to whip out her hammer, which she did. After two practice swings, she swung and connected, splintering the door into many pieces as the hinges ripped off of it, revealing a pale-faced president. "Honey! I'm home!"

Before he could speak or move, I rushed to him and grabbed him by his suit and brought him in close. The fright in his mind and heat of the moment made so that he couldn't even scream, much less say a simple syllable. He just stared at me with frightened eyes as he quivered like a child.

"I came to play a game, Max! Isn't that what you wanted?!"

"S-S-Sonic… we can work this out!"

"Work… this… out…?"

"Yeah! Sure we can!"

"You took everything away from me, Titus. My life, my friends, my wife, and my kids. It was no thanks to you that I have everything I've worked so hard to get back in my life. And since you took everything from me, I think the only logical thing to do with you is take everything away from you!"

"Please-."

"Stop trying to reason with me, you slick S.O.B. Face it. You're done. And now, you're going to pay the price, the ultimate one."

"Amy? Can you try to reason-?"

"YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK TO HER!" I brought him off the ground and threw him through his wooden desk, shattering and splintering the tough mahogany wood. "AFTER ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE DONE TO HER, MY FRIENDS, MY KIDS, AND ME, I HAVE A GOOD MIND TO END YOUR LIFE WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT RIGHT NOW!" I wanted to break out my _other_ side, but I did not despite my darker desires. "But I won't do that. It'd be too damned easy for me to kill you and not have you face the justice you've got coming to you."

"Besides," Amy said, "Since we're going to see the Queen about this whole mess, she'll love to hear it from your mouth, Mr. President!"

"My wife brings up a good point, Titus. Since treason is involved, this'll have to go all the way up through the Royal Court, members of an elite club that Amy and I belong to. Trust me, Max, I will expose you for the cruel man you really are. I want the world to know what kind of scummy piece of evil-worshipping garbage you are. You tried to have me fall from grace. I'm just taking it one step further with you."

"Please, Sonic, I'm sorry!"

"Like I said to Hex a moment ago, it's too late for apologies. Besides, I don't think any of my kin or friends are in any kind of forgiving mood."

"We're five minutes out from the city, Sonic," said Rouge over the P.A. system.

"Thanks, Rouge. Say, can we get the local news from the T.V. in here?"

"I don't see why not."

"Good." I let go of Titus and grabbed a remote that turned on the T.V. Max tried to be funny and crawl to escape, but Amy put her hammer down right in front of his face and shook her head it warningly.

"Good evening, Mobotropolis!" said an aquamarine-eyed, yellow-green hedgehog with quills shorter than Amy's. "Breaking news from the Mobotropolis International Airport tonight as the Royal Guard has been called in as United Federation President Maximilian Titus and his plane, Army One, will be making an unscheduled stop here tonight. Specific reasons are unknown as to why Army One needs to land immediately, but from what Her Majesty Queen Aleena I said in a statement to all of the media and press, we know that Prince Sonic is alive and is on the plane with President Titus. Prince Sonic was supposedly killed in a plane crash two days ago when he was escorting Dr. Eggman back to prison with the help of veteran G.U.N. agents Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat. Ever since Army One needed to make an emergency stop, all traffic on the runways has been halted, save for any other flights' potential emergencies. Otherwise, there are no planes going in or out from the airport until further notice. As you can see from our camera angle, we can see that Army One will be-."

I clicked it off. "Looks like my mom did her part and brought in all of the press." Titus looked at me with contempt. "I'm going to love watching their reactions when they find out about what you've done!"

"Faker?" Shadow asked over the P.A. system.

"Yes, Shadow?"

"You might want to hold onto something. We'll be landing in less than a minute."

"Alright, thanks."

A few seconds later, the plane hit the surface.

Thank heavens for solid ground.

When it stopped, the masses of people flocked to it as a mobile staircase was brought in to let us exit the craft. Shadow opened up the bay door so the Royal Guards could enter and claim their new prisoners.

"Time to go, Titus," I said as I grabbed him by his arms. We made our way to the door where we met up with the others. Shadow hid a pair of handcuffs in my quills for later. "This'll be fun!"

At that moment, the door opened, and we were greeted like rock-stars. The cameras flashed wildly, several hundred members of the press and thousands of fan-girls made up the plethora of people, screaming questions at us or "I LOVE YOU, SONIC!" from the fan-girls.

Shadow and Maria were the first to descend the stairs, then Rouge and Knuckles, and then Amy. I was the last one, and I had grabbed Max and lead him down the stairs where a small podium with several microphones was lined up and ready to go. At a distance were my five comrades, and the mass of journalists people that were bombarding me with questions.

Looking out at the crowd, there was a combination of the following: cheers for me and my friends for being alive, more light from cameras flashing than a severe thunderstorm, but above all, they saw how violently I held Max with his hands behind his back. That last reason caused some uneasiness among the press corps.

"If I could have everyone's attention for a minute, please?" I asked into the microphones. It took a few moments, but it got quiet. "Thank you. Now, as most of you know, there have been several reports that I was killed a few days ago in plane crash along with my partners, Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat, but obviously, we are alive. There is a reason that we did not make ourselves known to the public that we were alive after the plane crash. I cannot go into every single detail at the current moment, because I have something more important to-."

"Don't believe a word he says!" screamed Titus into the microphone. "He's a liar! And-."

I head-butted him quickly, earning a gasp from the crowd. "As I was saying, I have something more important to do first with good, ol' President Max Titus here. However, for all those members of the press here tonight, I will be hosting a press conference tomorrow at high noon in the throne room of the castle to tell you all the juicy details of everything that has gone on. I want those with video cameras to start recording, because what I am about to do will shock you.

"We've all known United Federation President Maximilian Titus to be a strong and upright politician, yes? Well, I am here to tell you that he has done terrible things to me-."

"Don't listen to him! He's cr-!"

I placed one good, balled-up fist into his stomach. "This man has done terrible and unforgivable things to me, my friends, and my family! So without further ado..." I took the cuffs out from my quills. "Maximilian Joseph Titus, by the authority of the Royal Crown of Mobius as held and protected by Her Majesty, my mother, Queen Aleena I, I, Prince Sonic, place you under arrest…" The amount of cameras clicking and press questioning went up by astronomical numbers when I said those last two words. It was so much that I had to stop and silence them with one hand. Once that was done, I cuffed the scoundrel. "I, Prince Sonic, place you, Maximilian Joseph Titus, under arrest for the following crimes: eleven counts of abduction-."

"Eleven?! How do you get that number?!"

"Let's see, Max. Me, my wife, Princess Amelia; my son, Prince Cobalt; my daughters, Princess Desiree and Princess Melanie; Knuckles the Echidna, Rouge the Bat, their daughter, Emerald the Bat; Shadow the Hedgehog, Maria Robotnik-Hedgehog, and their unborn child. That's eleven, Max. Count 'em! In addition to the abduction charges, you are being charged with seven counts of attempted murder-."

"Seven?!"

"That's for Rouge, Shadow, and me when you sent us to Shamar to die at Dr. Eggman's hand and for the plane crash that you orchestrated when you tried to use your backup plan to kill us and Eggman." A large, loud gasp came from the press. "Three and four make seven, Max. I'd suggest not blurting out anything else. Your life is over already, but at least try to save whatever credibility you have left. In addition, you are charged with eight cases of child abuse, the four kids and their physical _and_ psychological torturing, four and four make eight, and those previous crimes are just the tip of the iceberg. You are also under arrest for the misuse of federal power and authority, for breaking out a known felon from jail, one Dr. Ivo Robotnik AKA Dr. Eggman, for blackmailing the doctor by threatening the life of his cousin, Maria Robotnik-Hedgehog, and her unborn child. And here's the best one, Max. You are under arrest for conspiring to overthrow Her Majesty, Queen Aleena I, for planning the murder of the Queen herself as well as my brother and sister, Prince Manic and Princess Sonia, as well as planning to take over the world by means of their deaths. According to the laws of the planet, I believe that alone is grounds for TREASON."

The crowd hung on every last word. "Shocked" or "stunned" couldn't describe their expressions to what I had just said. The silence was eerie, not as eerie as Titus' face, which grew paler and paler with every charge that I knew that I could tag him with. Were there more charges to be put on that laundry list? Absolutely, but the big ones were out there, and now the whole world knew that the biggest world leader that was not the Royal Family was no more than a criminal.

"Y-You c-c-can't pr-prove anything, S-Sonic!" he forced out amid his frightened voice-cracking.

"Can't I? Hey, Rouge, can I have that recording?"

"Sure," she said. "I'll even fast-forward to his confession!"

"Confession?" asked Max.

"Yes, Titus. Remember when you spilled everything to us when we were in those cells on Prison Island?"

"You didn't!"

" _I_ didn't, but _Rouge_ did."

"Here, you go, Blue," she said.

"Thank you." I turned my attention back to the mob of question reporters. "Please, quiet down guys." They did so, but it took a few seconds to do so. "Thanks. Now listen closely to this."

His tirade of a recording went on for a few minutes, with the press and the world soaking it all in like a sponge. The longer it went on, the more stunned they became. Titus' doomed expression was the icing on the cake. The more he listened in disbelief, the more and more he looked like he was about to fall and keel over at a moment's notice.

Back to the reporters, they all looked at the shell-of-a-man more and more with a burning desire to end him. In all honesty, his fall from grace was so priceless that if I had a camera, recorded this, and then uploaded the video to the internet, it'd have 100 million hits in the first few minutes. It was too bad that all these members of the press were beating me to the punch.

The recording ended. A mad flurry of hateful taunts and questions came Titus' way. That was the least of his problems.

"Well, people," I began, "now you see the true Max Titus! With what he's going to go through, you guys will have more than enough to write about. But to make this arrest official, I have to say this: Max Titus, you have the right to remain silent. Anything that you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?" He looked up at me with that thousand-mile stare. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Personally, Max, I don't think you even deserve the chance to have these rights, but we're giving them to you anyway. Not that it's going to help you. Now, let's get you out of here."

I whistled for the Royal Guard to escort me and Max to the nearest patrol car. It wasn't a car, but an armored truck. He looked me dead in the eye as I led him to the truck with a hateful glare and said, "I'll get out of this, hedgehog! You hear me?! I'll get out of this and I will kill you myself! YOU HEAR ME?!"

I've had just about enough of this idiot.

I stopped right at the truck and let its doors be opened. To fulfill the promise I made to him in my prison cell, I planted my left leg and swung with my right, kicking him in the butt. The kick was so powerful that he flew into the truck and landed face-first and with a THUD. He got back up after groaning in pain and looked at me with a bloody nose.

"I told you that I'd put one of my signature red shoes up your ass! Now sit down and get comfortable. I'll be seeing you in court."

"I'll kill you!"

"You'll kill me? Well then, I guess we can chalk up another charge against you for verbally threatening a man's life." With that, I slammed the door in his face (probably breaking his nose in the process), effectively locking him up. As he was being driven away from the scene, I felt something good come from deep inside of me. A sense of relief that he was finally in custody. What made me feel even happier was the fact that soon enough, he'd be dealt with for his treasonous actions. All in due time though... and due process.

I turned back to my wife and friends. The Royal Guard began escorting the press out of the way to prevent any further carnage and questioning to happen, but a few tried to ask me some questions as they were forced to leave. There was one man that was allowed passage through them. He stood in front of me with his black military jacket and his medals and patches of red, gold, and blue on the left side of his uniform. There stood the highly-decorated Commander of G.U.N.

He chuckled as he held out his hand for me to shake. "Another job well done, Sonic," he stated.

I returned a smile. "The last 'job well done'," I corrected as I shook his hand. "Thanks for helping us."

"I think I should be the one saying that to you, Sonic."

"Well, if you are, there are five others that you'll need to say that to as well," I said as I looked over to my team.

"Don't worry, I will. So how did you escape Prison Island?"

"Attend the press conference tomorrow, and I'll tell you."

He laughed. "I've never liked press conferences."

"Neither have I, but the people need to know this."

"Agreed."

"Sir?"

"Yes, Sonic?" I reached into my quills and pulled out something that I had gotten a few days ago in the Octagon Office: my G.U.N. credentials.

"I have to ask you this: once I give you my badge, can I stay retired?"

He laughed wholeheartedly as I offered it to him. He took it and said, "I think you've earned that, Sonic."

Suddenly, the rest of my friends and my wife walked up to us. Amy kissed me cheek and held my hand, resting her head on my shoulder. Shadow and Rouge reached back for something and pulled out their pistols and G.U.N. badges, offering them to him.

"You guys too?"

"This job has hit a little too close to home, sir," stated Rouge seriously.

"I concur," said Shadow. "Besides," he said as he grabbed his wife by her left hand, "I have a promise to keep."

"Understood," said the understanding Commander.

"Sir," I began, "G.U.N.'s going to catch a lot of hell and grief for this whole debacle. Probably you too. I'll do all that I can to keep your name clean considering what's happened."

"Heh. It wouldn't be the first time I've been in political hot water. To all of you, I can't tell you how thankful I am for what you've done. Thank you for-."

"Sir?" I interrupted. "We've heard that same song plenty of times before. We know."

"Can't take some friendly thanks, can you, Sonic? Even after you just said to thank them too?"

"Fair enough, but with me, I blame Titus' overdoing of 'thank you' for my bitterness towards the subject." Everyone chuckled.

"Touché," he replied. "Well, I think you guys need some rest. I'll see you later. And thanks again." We all nodded, and Shadow, Rouge, and I saluted him to which he saluted us back. The Commander went to his childhood best friend and gave her a big hug as a tear ran down his face. He broke it and went on his way.

"Sonic?" asked Rouge. "Eggman's on his way down now."

"Good. Commander? Before you leave, does Eggman have clearance to land?"

"The Royal Guard's under strict instruction to not engage Eggman until the kids are safe."

"Thank you!"

The whirring of the large aircraft was now heard as it came down through the clouds. The Royal Guard took their positions as the craft slowly floated down from the skies, landing with a loud THUD on the concrete. After a minute, a door from the ship's underside hissed and out came the doctor, Emerald, and my three angels on a lowering platform.

It stopped a foot off the ground, and Eggman unlocked the door and opened it for the kids. They came running out, starting with Emerald running towards Knuckles and Rouge. Knux scooped her up and twirled her around and brought her back into him, now with the mother joining in on a family hug.

Then there were my three.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" they all cried. We ran to them and grabbed them all, hugging it out tightly.

"Egghead didn't hurt you guys, did he?" asked Amy.

"No! He even made us cookies!" Cookies on a big airship for a fat dude like Eggman? Why am I not surprised?

For a minute or two, we enjoyed each other's presence. Amy and I all kissed our gifts from above on the head. The girls were okay with it, but Coby wasn't. Dude, given all that's gone on, take all the love that you can get.

"Dad?" asked Coby. "Can we go home now?"

"Soon, sport. Before we go home, we all need to go to the hospital."

"Why?" he whined.

"Because we're all pretty hurt and beat up. You and your sisters took abuse for a few days straight. You guys need it more than your mom and me."

"But I want to go home now!"

"Patience, buddy. Besides, our home's probably still a mess from that invasion a few nights ago. It'll just take some time before we can head home, okay?"

"Okay…" I smiled and hugged him a little more. I looked up and saw my sister, brother, and mother all looking at us, each with a warm smile and tear in each of the girls' eyes.

"Alright, you guys, daddy has to deal with a few things first. Ames? Can you go with the kids to the hospital?"

"Sure, Sonic, but what do you have to do?" I jerked my head in the direction of her in-laws. "Okay, but you won't be long, will you?"

"When do I ever take long?"

She smiled. "Alright, honey. I'll see you soon."

I quickly kissed her and she took the three angels with her and entered a nearby ambulance, riding away into the distance. I turned my attention to the rest of my family, and put up one finger to non-verbally say, "I'll be with you in a minute." Mom nodded. I turned around to see the fat doctor in handcuffs about to be put into an armored car headed back to jail, no doubt.

"Hold up, guys!" I said to the guards. The ones who escorted the cuffed doc stopped. I jogged up them and said, "Lose the cuffs."

"Sire? He's a-."

"I know perfectly well what he is, soldier. I've had to deal with him for years. Now the cuffs?" One reached behind him to show us a ring of keys and unlocked Eggman from his hand-shackles. "Can you give us a minute, boys?"

They nodded and backed away, leaving me and the doctor face-to-face. It wasn't the first time that this had happened. Did I still genuinely like the guy? Well, he made the hero I was known to be and the guy was flat-out crazy. Arch-nemesis or not, he was so crazy hilariously nuts to the point where you had to like him! He's always been a good source of comedy relief.

I finally smiled at him. "Thank you. Seriously," I said as I offered him a hand.

He looked at it, shook it, and then looked at me. "We're even," he replied. "You have your family back, and I have mine. I should be thanking you."

"Don't. Like you said, we're even."

"The only difference is you get to walk away free from this. I still have a prison sentence to finish."

"I tell you what, doc. With all that you've done, I can't get you out of jail, but I can try to get you into a lower-security prison… that is if you'll honor our previous agreement."

"It's the least I could do with you helping get my cousin back. Besides, killing someone, even if it is me, isn't your style."

I nodded. "Thanks again, doc. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I couldn't have done it without you."

"No, you probably could've."

I shook my head and shook his hand once more. "No, I couldn't have," I assured him. I signaled the guards to take him away and they shut the door and drove away.

"One last piece of business," I thought out loud.

Turning back to my sister, brother, and mom, I walked up them. They walked towards me as my sister and brother gave me big hugs. Sonia was having the hardest time keeping tears from falling.

"Welcome back, bro," said Manic.

"We thought you were dead!" said Sonia amid the tears.

"You guys should know me better than that," I teased.

I looked up to my mom. Sonia and Manic released from their holds. Mother seized the opportunity to grip me with a big hug, sobbing we held each other close.

"Okay, mom. You're hugging me tighter than Amy did years ago. I kinda need to breathe here."

"Sorry," she said, releasing me. "We're all just so happy to see you alive!"

"I'll be honest, guys, it could've easily gone the other way, but thankfully it didn't. Otherwise, well, I couldn't return to being the family man, could I?"

"And we wouldn't have an older brother to tease," quipped Manic.

"Ah, yes! Because that's more important than my wife and kids!" I replied sarcastically, earning a chuckle out of everyone.

"So are you going to the hospital sometime soon or what, bro?" asked Sonia.

"I can be there in a flash, but I wanted to talk to you guys first."

"About what, son?" asked my mom.

"Well, I thought that it'd be nice for y'all to see me after this whole fiasco."

"Well, this fiasco is going to take some time to sort out, son."

"Yeah, and we'll have to convene the Royal Court for the trials and sentencings. I'm not keen on judging everyone. Just one person in specific."

"So Max did all that because you left G.U.N.?" asked Sonia.

"Yep. I've gone on the record to say that he's an obsessive fan-boy, a spoiled one at that."

"And now he'll be six feet under before we know it!"

"That wasn't a very princess-like thing to say, Sonia," scolded mom.

"Oh, ease up, mom," said Sonia. "I think that we've all had a few very trying days, and some rest would do us some good."

"YES!" said Manic and me.

"But before we go…" My siblings groaned in frustration. Hehehe. I couldn't help but chuckle at their immaturity. "Mom, I need a few more favors from you."

"Oh?"

"First, have the doctors take a careful look at Maria. She's two months pregnant, and out of all the adults, save for Amy, she's the one I'm the most concerned about. I can't imagine what'd happen if the last few days' events caused a miscarriage."

"I'll tell the doctors that as soon as I can. Anything else?"

"Two more things, actually." I reached into my glove and busted out the diamond. "When Amy was attacked a few nights ago, the diamond on her ring was broken off. If you can send it to a jeweler and have the stone reset, I'd appreciate it. I don't know if the ring is bent so out of shape that it couldn't get it properly reset, so you might have to look at that too."

Mom plucked the diamond and put it in an inside pocket inside her royal robe. "And what's the last thing, son?"

"I know for a fact that all our houses were all ransacked when Maria, Knuckles, Emma, Amy, Coby, Desi, and Mel were all attacked. I think that it'd be nice when all of us get discharged from the hospital to arrive at clean houses."

She nodded and smiled. "Consider it done, Sonic."

I returned the smile hugged her again, this time with my siblings in the fold as well. It had been a long while since all four of us had done a group hug. If I weren't so busy with my family and an insane politician that wanted me dead, I'd make sure that we did this more.

I broke it off and said to them looking back as I walked towards the hospital, "Now if you guys'll excuse me, I have gotten three electric shocks all within the last seventy-two hours. And above all, I need to rest and sleep in the same bed as Amy, even if it is an uncomfortable hospital bed."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _Yeah, I know this chapter's a day early, but the last chapter won't be._

 _I think Sonic's earned a break. Don't you? I mean, with all the kidnappings, near-death experiences, and all-around butt-kicking, I think he's due for some rest and relaxation in the coming months… that is, until it's time to take Titus to court. Other than that, I don't have much else to say about this chapter, except maybe the fact that I got this chapter's title from the Ozzy Osbourne song of the same name._

 _Stay tuned for tomorrow, the last chapter, which is the story's longest chapter (and serves as an epilogue of sorts), will be up tomorrow night sometime._

 _As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA._


	24. 24: The Possibilities Are Never-Ending

**Ch. 24: The Possibilities Are Never-Ending**

FIFTEEN MONTHS LATER

 _***Sonic's Reflective POV***_

I still think back to that night, that night where it was all over. The plot, the crazy politician, all of it.

Freedom. It's one hell of a concept. It's an idea that I've always held close to my heart. Ever since that night, I finally felt free. Free of _him_ , knowing that he had what was coming to him. I was a free man once again. We were all free of him. There were no more missions where I'd have to get ripped away from my favorite people. I couldn't say that I could leave all the politics behind, no matter how much I've always wanted to fully leave it. I mean, when my mom becomes too old, it'll be me and Amy at the planetary helm keeping freedom in place. It's still crazy to think that that same freedom could've easily been lost had he succeeded.

The night that Titus was arrested, I went to the hospital and was treated for my three crude electroshock therapies as well as other physical ailments. I was just sore from all of it. I'm not going to lie, it was great to be having an adventure that included the planet's fate hanging in the balance again, but this one, as Rouge put it, hit too close to home.

Amy and the kids were treated more than I was. I'd been through worse… physically, anyway. Amy and the kids? Well, they were a different story. My (then) four favorite people needed some nourishment after all the "excitement". I had never seen Amy eat so much in her life. Not even when she was pregnant with Coby, Desi, and Mel did she eat so much in one sitting, at least to my knowledge.

Out of the adults, Maria was the one that we were all the most scared for, outside of my wife, personally speaking. She was two months pregnant at the time of the Titus Incident. She was captured, but not tortured as much as Knuckles, Emma, or my wife and kids for that matter. It was mainly because of her pregnancy, but the sheer shock of it all and the fight that ensued on the island took a toll on her.

We all waited eagerly and nervously as the doctors had run their tests to see if the baby was okay. I had never seen Shadow more scared in his entire life. His fear was equal to Maria's. I don't think Shadow could've gone through another life-shattering disappointment.

When the doctors came back, we heard his news.

The little one was safe. A sigh of relief ensued after that. The doctors explained that with everything that had happened, the unborn child should've died. She should have miscarried. But the reason for the unborn baby's unexpected healthiness was the fact that Maria during the fight on Prison Island had been using a Chaos Emerald throughout the scrape. The significance? When she used the powerful gem, Chaos Energy coursed through her entire body. Chaos Energy will strengthen you, assuming you're using its positive energy, which Maria was doing during the fight. What it also did was affect the fetus, protecting it and strengthening it, even though Maria was going through hell.

Mr. and Mrs. Ultimate Lifeform were overjoyed at the news, as one would expect. The doctors did tell them that Maria would need to come to the hospital regularly to see if everything was still okay. She was told to come in once a month and she never missed a single doctoral appointment.

Doctoral appointments. Before I elaborate on that, I should say this. The six adults (Shadow, Maria, Knux, Rouge, Amy, and yours truly) all had to go through physical treatments. Knux and Amy especially. We were all tired, sore, and genuinely beaten up after the Titus Incident. We also had to go through psychological testing. We had been through hell many times in the past, but it never got this personal. The psych treatments were made for all of us, and we were all alright within a few days.

I wish I could've said the same thing for the kids. All four of 'em had been through rigorous torture on the inside and out for a few days nonstop. They were all only six years old. Granted, Cream and Charmy Bee were also six when they hung around me saving the world a few times, but the difference was that I never intended on my kids to get put through those atrocities at any age. The beatings, the workouts, no breaks, no love; only hate and anger.

Understandably, my kids had nightmares for weeks after the events. They woke up screaming and crying, replaying the terrible events over and over again in their dreams. Rouge and Knuckles had the same problem with Emma. We took them in to get treatment from the shrinks to overcome their personal miseries. It was a crummy way to spend summer vacation, going through all that anguish on Prison Island and spending what seemed like days-on-end in mental hospitals. But if there was one thing that they all inherited from their parents, it was our strength and resolve. My three kids were already my steady rock from which I could rely on for support, but seeing them fight and overcome the nightmares and constant fear was incredible. To see them beat it was enough to make me cry at how they rose above it all. Granted, ever since they were cured, the nightmares came up still, but they came up about as often as a blue moon. Two-and-a-half months. That's how long it took for all of them to overcome their inner demons.

Those same two-and-a-half months were used well elsewhere, specifically in the legal department. During that time, our best lawyers and prosecutors began to slowly make their cases against Max and those involved. How big was this investigation? Our investigators were, well, investigating everyone that worked, or had worked for Titus during his presidency. The secret service, Dr. Eggman, and every single G.U.N. worker from the Commander to the night-shift janitors were all under investigation.

Not surprisingly, when the news reached everyone on the planet that Titus had done what he'd done, there was a public outcry for Titus' head. All of the countries in the United Federation quickly withdrew from the alliance as soon as they heard the news. Within twelve hours of Max's arrest, the United Federation was completely disbanded.

There were more charges that were brought up against Max than what I had originally said the night my friends and I took him down. They stacked up quickly, to say the least. Our lawyers and investigators seemingly worked around the clock to get every little fact correct about everything that pertained to Max Titus, and in two-and-a-half months, we were all ready to go ahead with sentencing.

The rulings took place during a one-week span. Day 1 was for all those innocent of any crime(s), Day 2 was for those getting as little as one day to twenty years in the slammer, Day 3 was for anyone that would be sentenced for more than twenty years, Day 4 was for the Commander, Day 5 was for Dr. Eggman, Day 6 was for those who'd be convicted of treason and their subsequent death-sentencing, and the final day was for Titus, and was coincidentally my thirtieth (30th) birthday.

Those seven days were hell in the most apt definition. You all know about it; there was no way you couldn't have. The media was there each and every day, never wavering coverage of the rulings for that whole godforsaken week. For those of you who don't know how it worked, our legal team had done all the heavy lifting, so it was all up to the Royal Court to give out the sentences and probationary dates, if applicable to the person accused.

As for who made up the Royal Court, at the time of the Titus Trials, as the media nicknamed this event, there were five members to the court. My mother, Queen Aleena I, was the leader/spokeswoman of the group because she that ruled over the planet. Other members included my sister, my brother, my wife, and yours truly. For the record, Amy was (and still is) only a member of the court because she was married to me. Common folk can't serve on the Court. Cobalt, Desiree, and Melanie would've been members of the group, but to be a member of the court, you'd have to be a direct blood relative or spouse of a current member of Royal Family as well as being at least eighteen years old, so my kids were out. I didn't want them to more of a part of this than they already had to be with their testimonies to bury Titus and company.

So for the first three days, we had given plenty of calls for no jail time, limited jail time, and life sentences. Like I stated before, everyone that worked or had worked for Titus during his presidency, the secret service, Dr. Eggman, and the every single G.U.N. employee, were all up for trial. They all weren't too happy that they had to go through with it, but mom did declare that the day after Titus' arrest that all those groups and people mentioned earlier in the paragraph needed to be questioned and put on trial. The only way that we would be able to get all those men and women judged "innocent" or "guilty" in our given time frame was to group them up and give out the verdicts and/or probation lengths at the same time. And it still took forever to do _that_ , especially when jail times varied with different people getting different sentence lengths, parole eligibility periods, and probation lengths. So yeah, the first three days took an eternity. It was exhausting in the sense that it took a while, not in the case of doing a lot physical labor within a certain time-frame.

When we got to Day 4 and Day 5, we were (THANKFULLY) able to stay for shorter times because those days were set aside for specific men, the Commander and Dr. Eggman, respectively. When the day arrived for the Commander, there were very little charges against him, but many media members called for his resignation during the time because of all the allegations against G.U.N. and their roles in helping Titus with the whole fiasco. However, the Commander went on the record saying, "This organization is my responsibility. I will see this through to the end. I won't resign over something like this. I'll only end my time as Commander when I know that it's time, and this sure as hell is not it."

When trial day came for him, he was greeted to a mixture of cheers and boos. Mother said that she was proud of the Commander for coming to her about the Max, and told the media directly that whatever G.U.N. did on Titus' orders, the Commander did not conspire with the man in any way, shape, or form. He was left out of the conversation and his agency was used for the wrong reasons, so the Commander was declared innocent of all crimes charged against him.

Then came Eggman for Day 5. Oh, boy… Let's just say that when he came into the court room on that day, the crowd's reception of him was less than stellar. I think you can figure that out for yourselves if you didn't see it on the television set. He was charged for three cases of attempted murder, among other charges. However, because of his role in helping me and the gang defeat Max and get our kids to safety, he was, and this killed my mom to say, _honored_ for his deeds and ruled innocent of all crimes because he was blackmailed by Titus to do so. It caused some controversy among the press corps for his innocence, but I went on the record to say that Eggman had changed for the better and was no longer the same maniacal quack that was obsessed with taking the over the planet (again). What was even more "controversial", in terms of the press, was that _I_ was the one that said it; the one person who had beaten him time and time again and had at one point dethroned the man because he dethroned my mom in the first place. The icing on the cake was that I had my mom also rule that Eggman, for his actions, was to be put into a prison with less-strict regulations. He was, and so far, hasn't even tried to escape. But if I may go back to the media, they were calling me out on this when they found out that it was my call on Eggman and his prison relocation, despite the Queen giving the ruling. I will say this, and you members of the press corps who're reading this are welcome to argue, but I do not regret making that decision. You didn't go through the same situation that I did, so you wouldn't understand my view on it.

In the end, Egghead was happy to hear he was going to a prison with less security, and like I said a paragraph ago, he hasn't even tried to escape. The other big tidbit of good news that came to him was that Maria's unborn son was alright (yes, they found out through ultrasound testing that Maria and Shadow were going to have a boy), and that Maria promised to visit her cousin in jail more often. It went up from once a month to every other week (twelve times a year up to twenty-six for those of you keeping score at home).

And then came Day 6: the day specifically set for those who admitted or were found guilty of treason, and would therefore be sentenced to death. I never liked playing the role of executioner. None of us on the Court did, but laws were laws. There were a smaller number of people that were guilty of treason as opposed to every other group of people on trial. There were only 24 of them. The lowest group number prior to Day 6 was Day 3's 49 people. One of the 24 was Hex. As disappointed as I was in Hex for his role in helping the president, he was the only one of the group that pleaded guilty to treason. They were to be executed the next day via lethal injection after Titus' sentence.

Day 7. My 30th birthday. Titus' day in court. Those three fragmental sentences translate to "BEST BIRTHDAY EVER" if put together. For my special day, it was the final day of court sentencing and the day that this whole mess would be (legally) over for us. Since it was my birthday, the head of the Royal Court granted me the authority to deliver Titus' punishment. Oh, the fun I had with that one!

Titus came into the court room looking like less than half of the man he once was. The media paid a lot of attention to him. The more people that testified against him and as the evidence against him mounted, not unlike a week's worth of dirty laundry, the more you could see that all the life was getting taken out of him. He went from grey, but well-coiffed hair and a decent tan to being pale-skinned with thin, long white hair. He was asked to stand up so I could give him his due justice.

"Maximilian Joseph Titus?" I asked. "By the authority of Her Majesty, Queen Aleena I, I have been granted the right to issue the verdicts of the crimes you have been charged with. Do you understand?" He nodded. "Maximilian Joseph Titus, we, the Royal Court, find you _guilty_ of all crimes charged against you." Cue the shutterbugs and a fever of question from the reporters in the courtroom. "Order!" I had a lot of fun using the gavel. Truth be told, I'd always wanted to do that, even if I hated playing judge. The crowd hushed and I turned back to the accused. "As I said, Maximilian Joseph Titus, we have found you guilty of all crimes charged against you. Among those charges is the crime of 'treason against the Crown'. On behalf of Her Majesty, Queen Aleena I, I hereby sentence you to death by lethal injection for tonight along with the men and women who have proclaimed their guilt or were found guilty of treason. Do you have anything that you would like to say?"

I wished that we didn't have to grant the guilty that last request. It often came with a lot of controversy and venom getting spat out as they were getting taken away. Titus was no exception. What he said you could probably find on the web, so I won't quote him here. It is as much that reason as well as the profane way he taunted the Royal Family, my friends, and me. The bailiffs had to come to him and drag him away to Death Row and the execution chambers. Another flurry of cameras went off as he was dragged out as well as after the doors had closed. The only thing I could think of at the moment was how he could have at least gone out like a man, but I realized that scum like him couldn't, could they?

He went straight down to Death Row where the 24 others were. The first 24 I didn't bother see. It was only _him_ I wanted to see die. They went through the executions quickly. Before I knew it, it was time for the main villain.

They did like they did with the previous ones guilty of treason. They took him and strapped him down to his chair by his arms, hands, torso, legs, and feet. He struggled in return, but the blunt end of a Royal Guard's sword caught him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. That gave them the opportunity they needed to finish tying him down like a pet on a leash. I stood on the other end of a two-way mirror as it happened.

They prepped the needle and his face went paler when he saw it. They asked if he had any last words. He asked to see me. They head guard turned to me through the mirror and non-verbally asked, "What're you going to do?" He didn't see me answer, but I went into the execution room anyway.

We stared at each other for a moment until he broke the silence saying, "How's the family doing?" I reeled up my right arm and back-handed his face hard, following it with a forehand and a hard-hitting right cross. I caused the side of mouth to bleed. I grabbed him by his forehead and pinned it to the chair. I looked him square in the eyes and got right up in his face with a fierce scowl.

"You're lucky my wife isn't here. I guarantee that she'd pound your skull in with that hammer of hers." I let go of his skull. "Have fun in hell," I said as I exited, giving the motion for the guards to end it all.

I slammed the door shut and went back into the observation room and saw him struggle all the more as he tried so hard to get free. I had the audio from the adjacent room muted so I didn't have to hear his last profanities. They hit him in the forehead with a rifle butt, and that dazed him, giving them the opportunity to stick in the first of the lethal juices.

He stopped immediately when they pumped him with sodium thiopental (C11H17N2NaO2S). He looked at the needle and jerked back up, rendering him unconscious. Pancuronium (C35H60N2O4) was then administered to paralyze him and cause respiratory arrest. To end it all, an injection of potassium chloride (KCl) was put in to stop his black hole of a heart. The monitor that he was strapped to showed us that his vitals dropped. Within ten minutes, President Maximilian Joseph Titus was finally dead. Seeing his heart rate flat-line and having the doctor declare him dead put an ironic, funny feeling in my chest. It felt like a curse had finally been lifted from me and my friends. It was like I had been released from heavy shackles. I felt free again. It was the kind of free that I felt whenever I ran with the wind at my back and in wide-open spaces. I have never considered myself a sadistic person, but watching him die was glorious. You can call me out on that remark, but I had an axe to grind with the demon.

I've seen people I know die in front of me and in my arms. Jonathan, Cyrus, and Jaime I saw die while worked for G.U.N. I held Uncle Chuck's hand when his golden heart stopped pumping. Titus was the exception of them. The first four were my friends and my family. The last one could've been Mephiles for all I knew. I've lost sleep over Jonathan, Cyrus, Jaime, and especially Chuck, but to this day, I haven't lost a wink of sleep over Max's death. Not. One.

The day of his death, new legislation passed via my mother. First, mother decreed that an international alliance of the size, power, and magnitude of the former United Federation would never happen again as long as my family was on the throne. Secondly, with the United Federation dissolved, its main authority enforcers, G.U.N., were also disbanded. Prior to the disbanding, the Commander officially resigned and retired, being as how everything related to the organization and the trials were officially over with Titus' execution. At the age of 72, Commander Abraham Tower walked away as an honored man for his role in the Titus Incident.

As you would expect, given the magnitude of the Titus Incident, the aftermath from everything was absolutely insane, especially on a personal level. The media wanted interviews from all those affected or involved in the scandal, especially from the victims, my family in particular. The media literally camped out at all of our houses wanting some interview of some kind. My philosophy about them wanting more information was, "They know everything that has happened. So why do they still need to bother us about it?"

I took my family out to Adabat to try and get away from it all and have a nice tropical vacation. But low and behold, they sat there waiting for us, and what was supposed to be a week-long vacation turned into a three-day questioning session. It wasn't Amy and I that I was concerned for, when it came to the interviews, but rather Cobalt, Desiree, and Melanie for the reason of people bringing up that trauma of their imprisonment and torture when we had tried to put it bed once already.

Shadow and Maria tried to get some peace. Maria argued that because of her pregnancy, she needed to relax and not be interviewed, which would lead to unneeded stress on the baby. So what did the press do? They said, "To hell with her request!" and then badgered her and her husband with queries about the Titus Incident and the soon-to-be-born boy. Shadow didn't get a lot of nice publicity when he threatened to badly hurt the media if they didn't stop bothering them.

Knuckles, Rouge, and Emma were hit with questions too, even on a place as high up as Angel Island. From what Emma told me, her and her family tried to hide and ride it out in Rouge's underground cavern, but cabin fever took over, leading to Knuckles having a panic attack and nearly causing a cave-in.

Even Tails and Cream (who was also five-and-a-half months pregnant like Maria at the end of the trials), who weren't even a part of the Incident, were plagued by media and press.

The last straw was a few days after the Incident ended when Amy and I were having a romantic night on our seventh (7th) anniversary with it just being us in the house with kids staying at their Uncle Tails' place for the night while Amy and I needed to do something that was overdue in a dark room. But wouldn't you know it, the media ruined a romantic night and moment with wild camera flashing coming from outside the window. Thankfully, they didn't see all of us, but it came time where we had had enough of the ridiculousness. It was to the point where I had to accept that there wasn't any place on this world where we could hide from these guys. Even Amy, when she was younger, was never this obsessed for me (don't take that as a burn against my wife; even she will admit that). Then it hit me. There wasn't any place on _this_ world that we could hide.

I gathered up all of us who'd been hounded by the press and told them that I had an idea for getting us out of their constant badgering of us. Shadow argued that there wasn't any place where we could hide and he knew that if it got any worse, "Lethal force would be used". Those were his actual words. So I told them my plan.

Prior to that meeting, I had used the Chaos Emeralds to communicate with a friend we hadn't seen since Tails' and Cream's wedding three years ago at that point in time. I was in talks with King Silver to try and take a needed vacation/getaway to the Sol Dimension. I told him of our situation, and how the lot of us needed to get away. It took weeks to finally get a plan down, mainly because I had the crappiest time finding time to hash out the details because Blaze was nowhere to be seen during the talks, and anytime she came up in conversation, Silver just said that I'd find out later why she wasn't available. However, her not talking to us wasn't fueled by any bad blood between her and any of us; we just had to wait and see her for ourselves.

To get back on track, all of us were packed up and ready to leave thanks to the use of the Chaos Emeralds to make the jump. We had tested out our respective dimensions' Emeralds to test the inter-dimensional transport system beforehand to see if the dimensional jump would be safe, even for the pregnant ladies, who were six-and-a-half months pregnant at the time. Thankfully, there were no problems. Before we had left, Tails had created transceivers that were made specifically to talk to others from the other dimension. So if we were in the Sol Dimension, we could still be in contact with our home dimension with the help of the gizmos. They were only created in the event that an emergency was happening and we need to leave for home A.S.A.P.

Mom, Manic, and Sonia had to stay home for obvious Royal Family reasons and were okay with us taking a vacation. Before we had left, mom had written into law that the media was forbidden to interview those affected in the Titus Incident about the Incident or be arrested and put in jail. Mom also went on to say that the reasoning behind it was that the Titus Incident was over; they (meaning 'we') wanted this to be behind us. Another huge part of it was because time and time again during the interviews/interrogations, we had asked several times for the media to leave us alone, and they would not do it. To be honest, I don't know we why didn't sign it into law earlier.

Anyways, back to the vacation. We had decided to take a one month vacation and it was established that we'd all be staying at Silver's and Blaze's castle. With a warm goodbye, we all left for the tropical paradise that was all around their castle.

We arrived safely arrived were greeted by my psychokinetic friend and were brought inside. In one of the bedrooms sat the queen herself, but who else she was with her was shocking to say the least. Silver explained why during our vacation talks Blaze was nowhere to be seen or heard.

Resting in a bed to Blaze's left rested a toddler that looked exactly like his father. He had the same goofy quill pattern as his old man, and when he woke up, we saw that he had his father's gold eyes (Blaze had gold eyes too, but hers were slightly more orange than her husband's, giving her amber-colored eyes). The only difference was that he had his mom's lavender-purple fur. The King went on to say that he had also inherited Blaze's pyrokinetic abilities (the power to control and manipulate fire). The Queen said they found out the hard way that he inherited his mom's powers when he accidentally set a curtain ablaze in the throne room. Silver further said that he was their firstborn and was a year-and-a-half old.

In Blaze's arms rested their second child, a daughter. Silver explained further that at the time that I was calling him, Blaze was very pregnant with the new princess, in labor, nursing the child, and then trying to work off some of the baby weight that came with pregnancy. A smaller Blaze, but silver-furred like her daddy, the two-week-old kitten woke up and showed us her beautiful amber-colored eyes, but quickly hid them when she cried. She became so upset that she inadvertently used her own psychokinesis on Knuckles, lifting him up suddenly and just as quickly dropping him… on his thick skull.

Yes, we laughed our hind-ends off when that happened.

The Sol Royalists invited all of us to go to our rooms and unpack except for two of us. The king and queen had asked Cream and I respectively to stay for a moment. When everyone was gone, Silver talked to me privately while Cream and Blaze caught up. Silver asked me if I would become his son's godfather. To be honest, I always thought that my first godson would be Tails' first son. However, I graciously accepted to be a godfather for the first time. Silver took his little man out of the bed and the little one walked to me and hugged my leg.

"What's his name?" I asked.

Silver replied, "Booker. Prince Booker Fontaine the Hedgehog."

"And your little girl?"

"Gladys. Princess Gladys Caroline the Cat." I was quick to assume that Cream was asked to stay because Blaze was going to ask the pregnant rabbit to be Gladys' godmother.

Over the next month, we had a great time on the beaches near the castle, fishing trips (Cobalt thought it was funny to push Dad off of the boat a few times), plenty of grilling out, and seemingly endless nights of stargazing. We visited Marine the Raccoon, toured the surrounding islands, Knuckles got buried in the sand by Emma, and I enjoyed the best seafood I'd ever tasted.

Blaze had taught me a nifty and cheap fish recipe. Take some pancake batter (the kind you can buy in a box), add in a can or two of beer and mix. Take some cleaned fish fillets, dip them in the beer batter, and then deep-fry them in hot oil for a few minutes. Voila! We had that meal every Friday night, and they called it "Friday Night Fish-fry". They served it a lemon wedge, coleslaw, rye bread, fries, and tartar sauce for the fish. I wrote it all down to make sure that Amy could make herself on a Friday night for us.

Eventually, our vacation came to an end. By the time came to head home, Blaze had worked off all of her baby weight, Cream and Maria were seven-and-a-half months pregnant and still very healthy, and we made plans to vacation here next year and visit every so often with the Sol Royalists. During the trip, Rouge and Amy made big announcements that I'll get into later, but I think you can guess what they were.

One month after we returned, Maria's water broke and was rushed to the hospital by Shadow. We were all there at the hospital with the Ultimate Lifeform who paced up and down the waiting room feverishly. There was a sense of uneasiness that went into this because of how the child survived in the first place with the whole Titus Incident and how the baby's earliness (by two weeks) could have led to complications with the child. Granted that was a long-shot, but it scared Shadow to death just thinking about it.

Hours passed until the doctor came through the doors and announced that everything went perfectly and that the young man was healthy. The whole room took a much-needed sigh of relief and we went in to check on Maria. Shadow broke into the happiest tears I've ever seen as he hugged his wife and his newborn son.

The young man certainly looked like his old man to a fault. He had the same quill formation as Shadow and had striping along his body in the exact same locations as him too. The little man had the white tuft of chest hair like his dad as well as his blood-red eyes, but had his mother's smile. As for fur color, it was pretty much a color palette swap from the newborn to his dad. While Shadow was black-furred with red striping and accents all over his body, the baby had the same gold fur as his mom but also had black striping and accents all over his body in the same spots that Shadow had his red stripes and accents.

Maria didn't want him to be called "Shadow, Jr.", so they agreed on Xavier, Xavier Abraham the Hedgehog, Abraham for the Commander, who was also present at the time of Xavier's birth. And just like with the prince of the Sol Dimension, Shadow asked me to become the godfather, which I accepted without question.

Two weeks later, Cream went in. The twins were coming out right on the due date. Cream was rushed in by yours truly because her water broke when my family and I were visiting the Prowers'. Soon, everyone gathered again for the next round of births. Tails went with his wife to help her through it all. In the waiting room, my girls played with little Xavier as the hours passed. The same doctor that told us that we could see Maria came back to us and said that we could come to see Cream, Tails, and the twins.

Tails had one in his arms while Cream nursed the second. The Prowers introduced us to the little ones, a small male fox and an equally small female rabbit. The one my best friend held was the baby boy. In terms of his body, he looked the same as his dad, but he only had _one_ tail. He had his mom's cream and brown fur and chocolate brown eyes. Cream held the small girl bunny that had the same body type as her mother's but her dad's golden-yellow fur and blue eyes. Just as the son didn't have his dad's physical signature (the twin tails), she didn't have her mother's extremely large ears.

Tails made me the godfather of Miles Prower, Jr. (no middle name), thus making me a godfather of three boys all within a two-and-a-half-month span. To no one's surprise, Amy became a godmother for the first time, becoming the godmother of Vanilla Amelia the Rabbit. She was named after her grandmother because the older Vanilla had just officially beaten pancreatic cancer only _days_ before the twins' births. And as for her middle name, well, I think you can guess where Cream got the name. We didn't think that she (the older Vanilla) would've been able to witness their births, even if she had survived her cancer, but somehow, someway, she got to be there for her little girl and was able to hold her two grandchildren. I remember taking a picture of that moment and putting it in a scrapbook I made shortly after that day that housed pictures of all my friends and their families throughout the years. That picture of Vanilla holding Miles, Jr. and the younger Vanilla is one of my personal favorites.

Remember a few paragraphs ago when I said that Rouge and Amy had made big announcements during our vacation in the Sol Dimension? Well, it was shocking to Knucklehead and me when our wives came out and said that they were pregnant again. My Amy was one month pregnant while Rouge was a month-and-a-half pregnant when they came out and said that midway through our vacation. I remember Knuckles taking it a lot better than I did, being as shocked as he could be, but at least he kept his composure.

I didn't.

When Amy first came out all those years ago on the day I asked her to marry me that she was two-and-a-half weeks pregnant at the time, I was standing up and fell backwards onto the floor with a loud THUD, and from what my friends told me, my face was frozen in shock.

Fast-forward to the second time I learned that Amy had a bun in the oven. I did the same exact thing. I fell over backwards from the shear shock of it all and landed with a THUD on my head. Here's the difference: when I tipped over the last time, I fell onto hardwood. The second time? Well, we were in Silver and Blaze's castle when I found out, and that time, I fell backward _marble_ flooring. I hit my head so hard that it knocked me out and I woke up in a hospital room in one of the lower levels of the castle. The doctor diagnosed me with a mild concussion because of my hard fall. Amy and the rest of my friends gave me a hard time about it. Hell, they still do.

Amy told me that this time that there'd be only one child when the time would come. Still, I was now going to be a father of _four_ kids. As for Coby, Desi, and Mel, the girls were excited that they'd be getting a younger sibling, already spit-balling names as if they already knew that they were going to have a younger sister. I asked them, "What if it's a boy?" They retorted that they wouldn't want a baby brother if it was anything like Coby. My oldest didn't take that remark too well and chased the girls around the room to try and get back at them. I remembered laughing and taking my wife's hand, kissing it as I looked up to her from my bed. She grabbed my face and kissed me after my gentlemanly act.

Two-and-a-half weeks before Amy's birthday, Rouge went in to have her and Knuckles' second child. Knux confided in me that he was hoping that this time they'd get an echidna son for the sake of having a male Master Emerald Guardian when Knuckles' time was up. I told him that he'd get what he'd get, and there was no way to change it.

Knucklehead got half of his wish. Rouge gave birth to an echidna, but she gave birth to another daughter. She had her mother's clean, white fur, but she looked like her dad with dreadlocks for hair and the crescent on her collarbone. It was red and in the same spot as her dad's own white chest crescent. They named her Pearl Sophia. Go freaking figure that Rouge's daughter was named after a precious and valuable birthstone, but the irony of it all was that Pearl's birthstone was an Emerald. Speaking of Emeralds, her older sister, Emerald Maria (take a wild guess where her middle name came from), was so excited to have a baby sister. Knuckles would just have to have the member of echidna Master Emerald Guardians be a girl, but I have a feeling that Pearl won't like having to be that person.

That just leaves my family.

Five days before Amy turned twenty-eight, her water broke in the middle of the night. I was in the middle of a dream with her and I involved when it happened (talk about having a wet dream). I woke up all the kids and we dashed to the hospital at 12:45 AM.

We arrived there and she was rushed in and went ahead of me while I called everyone. Were they pleased that I woke them up in the middle of the night? No. I distinctly remember Shadow threatening to kill me unless I had a damn good reason for waking him up. Oh, did I ever have a damn good reason.

Tails and company were the first to arrive on the scene early in the morning. The Prowers agreed to watch the kids as I went to help Amy. The kids weren't any trouble. The minute they sat down on the chairs in the waiting room, they all fell back to sleep.

I ran to find my wife and found her with a familiar face; Dr. Lupe Tigress, the same doctor who had helped us birth Amy and I''s first three kids. I swiftly made my way to my wife's side and held her hand through the whole process… ALL TWELVE-PLUS HOURS OF IT. Finally, at 1:17 PM, Amy was finished and we were handed our fourth child, our second son.

Much like his older brother and me, he had emerald green eyes. He had the same body type as me, but the only difference was his fur color. It was a deep bluish purple, better known as indigo. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep in his mother's arms. As he slept, I stole a kiss from my wife and our friends all came in to see the newest Mobian Prince.

When asked what his name was, we did almost the same thing that we did with Cobalt. Since Coby's fur color was _cobalt_ blue, and our new son's was indigo, we decided on that. Prince Indigo Charles; Charles after his great-uncle and the great of uncle of mine that he never had the chance to meet. To end the day, we asked Knuckles to be the godfather this time around, to which he accepted.

* * *

As I look back on my life, I know that I can never go back and change it. Are there things I wish I could've done differently? Yes and no. As much damage as Titus did to all of us, I knew that it could've been avoided. Then again, if I hadn't started all of this by first putting in an application to work for G.U.N., I probably wouldn't have everything I have now. Am I saying that I am in some way thankful for Max?

HELL NO.

But if there was one thing that he did, it was bring us all together. I'll admit; I had a blast kicking some bad-guy butt at Prison Island, even if our lives were on the line. It wasn't the adventure that I wanted, but I shouldn't have been too surprised that something of that magnitude happened. Prior to Max, no foe had made me so vengeful and angry, not even Eggman did that. I could have easily lost my life, but more importantly, I could've easily lost my family. But thankfully, that wasn't, and still isn't the case. I have my family. All six of us are happy. Well… mostly.

Some of the current hostilities that the six of us have are regarding the move. With now a half-dozen hedgehogs in the family, the house we lived in was too small to host us all. So I got into contact with my mom shortly after we came back from vacation about building a new house. She agreed, but she stipulated that the new homestead had to be closer to Mobotropolis, i.e. my mom and siblings. We agreed, and a house was built by the end of autumn on the western outskirts of town. We've only been in the new place for a few days and the unpacking process is going on at a slow pace.

A few doors down from our new place were Mr. and Mrs. Prower. Even further down the street rested a second house for Rouge and Knuckles. They decided to build a second house to be closer to the rest of the old gang. However, Knuckles wouldn't be there 24/7; he still had guardian duties to tend to on Angel Island. And yes, even Shadow and Maria moved closer too. How Maria was able to swing Shadow to move, much less a move closer to _me_ , is something I'll never know, but they moved into the neighborhood across the street from Mr. and Mrs. Echidna.

What did we do with the old house? Well, we couldn't just sell the thing. There were too many memories that happened within those walls and halls. Most of them were good, others… not so much. Amy came up with the grand idea for a business opportunity. My mom listened to her idea and they agreed. The large chunk of land surrounding the old home was all owned by the Royal Family because my family used to live there full-time. Their business venture is still under construction, but is mostly done.

What's happening with the old house is we're making into a lake-house. A man-made lake was created, a pier was added, and now other houses/cabins are still being built along the entire lake. Sir Charles Lake, as it's called, will have over forty lake-houses encompassing the modestly-sized body of water when fully completed, and Big the Cat was the first person to rent out a place there. It was our old house, and he'll be there with Froggy through the end of next week. It's not like we're always going to have it rented out; when Big is done, we plan on bringing the kids out there for a weekend out on the lake before school starts back up.

* * *

As I write this final chapter of my autobiography, it's that kind of day where you have to reflect on what's happened in your life. My wife is 28. The triplets are 7½ years old, Indigo is just over three months old, and I turned 31 a week-and-a-half ago. Eight years. That's how long we've been together. Okay, maybe it's been longer than that; it's more like twenty between Amy and me if you want to go back as far as Little Planet, but that's as long as we've known each other. But today begins our eighth (8th) year together with golden rings around our left ring fingers. It's funny how fast life can be sometimes, especially with someone like me.

I wouldn't trade this for anything, not even for a generously-topped chili dog. I have the life that most men would dream of. I have old friends that live down the street. We've been through it all. From freeing small critters from a fat doctor's mechs to defeating gods to saving aliens to even fixing the space-time continuum. We've had our bad days too. Almost losing your family will do that to you, but evildoers should know by now that when it comes to the Sonic Team, they'll never beat us. Even if we're not at the top of our game or if you're holding our loved ones hostage, they should know that they'll never be able to take us out.

Am I happy with my life? Like I even have to second-guess myself! Sure, there are things I wish I could've done better or not at all, but look at where it's taken me. Sure, I'm known for having fast legs and a faster mouth, but if there's one thing that cements my legacy, it's my friends and especially my family. My beautiful wife of eight years, my four angelic children, my mom, my sister, and my brother. I'm a lucky guy. Get past my speed, royal title, and achievements, and you get the real Sonic the Hedgehog. My legacy isn't my princely title or the accolades I've tallied up over the years, but rather my family. Adventures come and go, but they'll always be here when I need them. They are my foundation, my inspiration, my ace-in-the-hole when things get tough. Will I still have great-big adventures where innocent lives hang in the balance? At this point, it's practically a formality. But my biggest adventure is and will always be my family. I can't tell you how happy I am to have the chance to watch my children grow and to have Amy by my side at all times.

What's crazier is that when I was at my peak of my "daredeviling" when I was anywhere from 11-16 years old, I thought I'd never want anything like what I have now. I was a living-in-the-moment thrill-seeker after all. I was just out looking for trouble and running away with the victories and my friends joining in on the fun. I can't tell you how many times I reflect on how I became the hero that everyone sees me as, but also the man that my wife sleeps with every night.

I've got it made. I can't stress that enough, and I'm thankful that I've been given these gifts. I get to support my kids in their recreational sports, be the father and a better father-figure than my Uncle Chuck, which might as well be impossible to do given that he set the bar high. I get to take runs with them, play football with Coby, I get to be annoyed by how loud my daughters play their pop music at 10:00 at night, I get to calm down Indigo when he cries in the middle of the night for wanting his mom and/or dad, and I get to embarrass my kids as good parents should because they embarrass me right back to get even. And last, but certainly not least, every morning I get to wake up with the most beautiful woman in the world. I get to wake up to an alarm clock that seems to ring earlier and earlier as I get older, but then I get to hear her say, "Good morning," every morning to calm me down with a kiss on the cheek and then on the lips to which I kiss back. I get to enjoy her cooking that could win any kind of cook-off hands down, I get to be snappy with her, fight with her, and make-up with her when either of us did something stupid. I get to have her sneak in a nap on my chest on some days, and I get to play with our kids and support them with her. And above all, every night before we fall asleep, I tell her, "I love you," to which she replied with, "I love you too." We'll kiss for a second or an hour and we'll fall asleep as I put my left arm around her body as she wears a purple nightgown and I spoon her, even kissing her neck or her back just before we're about to fall asleep with my nose deep within her strawberry-scented quills.

As I write this, I'm in my office. It's the middle of the afternoon in late summer. I look out a window to my right and see the most important people in my life. My oldest son, Cobalt has a football tucked underneath his right arm and is running around, waiting for me to finish up my last chapter so he and I can throw the ol' pigskin around before tonight. In the garden are my daughters, Desiree and Melanie, who are arguing over a tomato that Mel picked too early. Desi is barking at her sister, saying that it was too green to be picked, whereas Mel is arguing that because it's part red, it will ripen to become red soon enough. Sorry, Mel, darling, but your sister's right. That thing's still 60% green, at the minimum. And finally, my youngest son, Indigo, is asleep in my loving wife's arms with a pacifier in his mouth as my wife is reading a book as the summer sun shines down on them, making my wife look more like the angel-in-white that she already is.

The kids will be babysat tonight by Knuckles and Rouge. They're bringing over their girls and will be babysitting six kids in total. Six kids for two adults? Well, the two babies will be fast asleep (or at least they should be), and the girls will be playing in either Desiree's or Melanie's room later. Scratch that, If Emma's going to be over, and if my oldest son is in the house, then she'll probably just chase him down, pin him down, and force him to marry her.

A cute, little pink-furred girl with a crush on a fast, blue hedgehog that's saved her a few times from harm? Now where have I heard that before?

The reason that Rouge and company are coming over is because I'm treating the wife to a night out for our 8th anniversary. There'll be fine dining at a Spagonian restaurant that both Cream and my sister, Sonia, have highly recommended, and a night at a dance club (although on a weekend, I have a good feeling that it'll be absolutely crammed, so I have a back-up plan set up). To go along with it, I had Tails and the Royal Jeweler (yes, we even have a Royal Jeweler), help me out on what I hope is an adequate anniversary present. Mr. and Mrs. Echidna will be here soon enough. I must part ways with you, but only for a moment.

* * *

Life's an adventure, people. Those who know who I am and what I've done might say that my many instances of saving the world from total annihilation are my best adventures, one of my trademarks, if you will. They're only partially right. Sure, those adventures were fine and dandy, but that was the past. I've always been one for living in the now, unlike that time I went back in time to old places from old adventures. I am always living in the moment. If I'm out saving the world, that's great and all, but I'd rather be working on living my greatest adventure. And what is that? My greatest adventure is the one I'm living now.

It's being a good man, an honorable man, the greatest best friend you could ask for, a noble and upright prince with great moral values, a defender of peace and all things good and merciful, a role model, a great leader, a daredevil at heart, but above all, it's being a loving respectable patriarch. A dad who'll be there for his kids for something as defending them from a school bully, being there for dance recitals, or just something simple like when they need a warm, loving hug for when my kids are hurting or if they just ask for one. It's being a great husband who'll respect his wife and honor her. Treasure her. Love her. Kiss her. BE THERE FOR HER. Raise a family with her. Be the hero that saved her, but be the man she always wanted.

That's my adventure. It's waiting outside in my backyard on a sunny and warm summer day as the sun is beginning to set. They are my rock, my strength, my inspiration, my home, and my everything. It's crazy how easily I could have lost them. It's not a thought I relish, but it makes me want to love them and protect them all the more.

Life is crazy people. I went from a cocky teenage daredevil to a father who has learned a lot more about respect. Respect for my friends, a beautiful wife, and my four kids. I have respect for what I have and what could have happened. It just goes to show you, if a guy like yours truly can have it all like I do, then _the possibilities are never-ending_.

 _***Sonic's first-hand POV***_

I hit the "save" button on my computer. I would look at it later for the sake of cleaning up my grammar. Once that was done, I'd email it to my editor and publisher. I never thought that I'd write anything, much less my autobiography, but hey, a guy can change. It was going to hit shelves at the end of next month, so time was of the essence.

DING DONG!

It was almost scary how well I timed Knuckles', Rouge's, Emma's, and Pearl's arrival as I wrote it in the Great Book of Sonic. I put my laptop to sleep, got out of my chair, and did a full-body stretch to loosen those joints and heard a nice CRACK come from my spine.

"Ohhhhh, that's the stuff," I thought out loud.

I went down the hall, slid down the staircase's rails, and skidded to a stop as I opened the door.

"Well, it's about time you got here!" I said with purposeful annoyance. "I ordered that sausage, onion, and chili dog pizza with extra cheese forty minutes ago!"

"Very funny," said Rouge dryly. "Can you take Pearl for moment, Blue?"

"Sure," I said as I carefully took her from her mom's arms. She looked up at me confused with her mother's teal eyes. "Hey Pearl! How're you doing?" She cooed playfully. "Knuckles put on mommy's dresses again?! Ha! What a weirdo!"

"I HEARD THAT!"

"I can't make fun of you in front of your own kid, Knucklehead?" I teased. "Just remember, _Big Red_ that-."

"The people that give you most grief in life will always be your friends. Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before from you," he said as he entered and set the baby bag on the rug in the middle of our living room. "Can I have my little 'echidnette' back?"

"Aw, but she seems to be enjoying her Uncle Sonic's company!" I took a sniff or two. "On second thought…"

"Not laughin' now, are you, blue-butt?"

"Hey! It's my house, so only _I_ have the right to heckle around here!"

"UNCLE SONIC!" I turned back to the door and running at me was little Emma with her hair fashioned into a ponytail.

"Hey Em!" I said as I scooped her up and hugged her. "What? I don't get a hug back?"

"Sorry, Uncle Sonic, I only save my hugs for _my husband_."

"Well, your 'husband' is in the back with a football right now," I whispered into her ear.

"Can you let me down so I can see him?!"

"Sure, Emma," I said as I set her down gently as she booked it for the back door as her dad followed slowly with a cleaned-up Pearl.

I heard the SLAM of a door and a, " _OH, COBY!_ "

" _DAD! WHY'D YOU TELL EMMA WHERE I WAS?!_ "

" _C'MERE, LOVER BOY!_ "

Coby screamed in terror and I could hear the pitter-patter of his and hers feet running around out back.

"That sound familiar to you, Big Blue?" asked Rouge as she put a hand on my shoulder.

I chuckled. "Like father, like son," I replied.

"I've tried telling her to stop it."

"Nah, let her have her fun. Besides, Coby needs to be punished for cranking out his freaking rock music right as Amy and I were about to fall asleep last night."

"You're an evil dad."

"Well, I can do that. It's one of the many perks of being a father. Thanks for coming, Rouge."

"No problem. So you two aren't going to have any reporters waltz in on your 'fun' tonight, are you?" she teased, knowing full well what happened last year.

"Firstly, they came in _after_ our 'fun'. And secondly, not a chance in heaven or hell."

"So… what have you gotten her for your anniversary? You're not going to stiff her are you?"

"What kind of a husband do you think I am?!" I zipped away and handed her a box. "You think she'll like it?" She opened it up and devilishly smirked. "No, you can't have the rocks."

"I wasn't going to take them!"

"Oh, please! I've heard more truth come out of a politician's mouth," I retorted as I plucked the box from her hands and hid it in my quills. The back door crashed open as a scared cobalt blue hedgehog screamed by with a pink bat flying closely, trying to keep up. "Cobalt! Slow it down!"

"Emerald! Land your butt now!" The kids came back into the living room and Coby stopped in his tracks, but Emma, still flying, crashed into him. The sudden stop and crash caused her to be directly on top of him while facing each other.

"Kiss me, you fool!" Emma said overly-dramatically. "Hey!" Rouge walked over and plucked her daughter up by her wings.

"Curb your enthusiasm, sport," she said.

"But mom! I just wanted to give him a kiss!"

"No thanks!" I lightly smacked the back of my son's head. "Hey!"

"Be nice to our guests…," I warned while glaring at him.

"Sorry."

"I know you are, buddy." I got down to his level and hugged him, whispering in his ear, "You'll learn to enjoy a woman's love one day."

"No, I will not!" he replied rather loudly.

The rest of the gang came in with my daughters still arguing over the tomato and it caused Indigo to start crying.

"Sonic, can you try and calm him down? I need to talk to the girls for a moment," Amy said with venom in her voice as she glared at Desiree and Melanie.

"Sure, babe," I replied to Amy. She handed me the little man and I held him close as he cried while my wife pulled aside my daughters. "Shh shh shh. It's alright, Indy. Daddy's here." He slowed a little bit and I began to rock him. "That's right, Indy. I'm here. Daddy's right here." He stopped and I held him up at full extension for him to look down on me. "The circle of life-!" Knuckles stopped me right there as I reenacted Disney when he elbowed my kidney. "Hey! Not when I'm with child!"

"Sorry, but if they wanted you to sing in a movie, they'd ask." Hey… I'd be a damn good actor. I already know how to sing, so I'd be the full package! Maybe my autobiography will be such a success that I can star in it's corresponding movie with Coby playing a younger me of course as the film encompasses my whole life!

"Well, they would have the best talent," I arrogantly returned. Then Indy began emitting a nasty smell. "Oh, crap."

Knux took a big whiff, but why he took a big whiff of what's _inside_ the full diaper is something that I'll never know. "You got that right."

"Amy? Honey? Wait, where is she?" My ears perked up when I heard a shower running amid the conversations in the living room. I was more surprised as to how quickly she talked to the girls and then hopped in the shower. Ames must have kept the conversation short, sweet, and to the point. "I just hope she doesn't hog up all the hot water. I need to shower before we go too... especially if I'm cleaning up Indy."

She wasn't in there long (thankfully). As she headed to her room with a towel on her head and another around her ( _great_ ) body, she asked Rouge to come upstairs to help her get ready for our dinner date. I had finished changing my son (YUCK!) and was in and out of the shower before too long.

I had set my present on the bathroom counter prior to getting all wet and grabbed it when I went out, wrapping it in a pink and red paper with a white ribbon. Yes, I wrapped a present in the bathroom. I realize that it's not the most ideal spot in the house to do it. Don't judge me.

As I waited for her, I cracked the door to my room and asked for my outfit for the night. Amy told Rouge where it was in the closet and gave me the covered hangar. I moved back down to the bathroom and deodorized myself and applied a strong, but not overly potent cologne.

I unzipped the cover and began to slip on my suit for the night. It had pitch black pants with a corresponding jacket, a white undershirt, a long and slim black tie with a silver pin. I took off my ring and rubbed it all over with towel, giving it a golden shine. Years ago, I had "Always and forever" inscribed on the inside of the wedding band. It added to the promise of being loyal to her and only her, even more than the ring stood for.

With a dollop of gel that I put into my royal blue quills, I was good to go, giving myself a thumbs up in the mirror and clicking my tongue. I slipped my present into my jacket pocket and walked into the living room where my daughters were playing with Indy. Knuckles was still with Pearl, both napping on the couch. And then there was Coby, who was uncomfortable to say the least, as Emma was hugging him, not letting go of him despite Coby's asking/protesting/begging/pleading.

"Ahem," I said. Mel and Desi looked up at me. Emma did so too, giving Coby the chance to squirm away. Knuckles drowsily snorted and awoke, causing Pearl to whimper. "How do I look?" I asked confidently.

"Daddy!" said Mel. "You look so handsome!"

"You think mom's gonna like it?"

"She'd be crazy not to like it!" said Desi.

"Thanks, girls. What about you, Coby?"

"I think you look like a waiter at a restaurant." Everyone burst out laughing. Come to think of it, he was right.

"No respect for the old man," I said as I shook my head. I licked my thumb and made a line in the air, the signal for chalking one up for my first son. The score was Coby – 1, Sonic – well… less than that.

"You ready yet, Ames?" I asked loudly for the wives to hear.

"Gimme another minute!"

"So it'll be another hour. Right."

"I HEARD THAT!" Fact of life: the wife will _always_ hear you when you make a smart comment about her.

Before long, the door upstairs had swung open. Rouge came down first and gestured her arms like those showgirls on _The Price is Right_ when a new car is the potential prize.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Princess Amelia!"

OH, WOW.

She walked down gracefully, one foot in front of the other with shiny, silver-colored high heels. Her dress perfectly matched them, or rather the other way around. It hugged her every curve to a fault. It had a break where you could see one of her shapely legs, stopping mid-thigh. It was crazy how she still looked like the girl that fateful night at Knuckles' and Rouge reception almost a decade ago. The average man would have considered her hot stuff, but judging by her perfect body alone, that same man would never be able to guess that she's had four, count 'em one, two, three, _four children_ all by the age of twenty-eight. And her face? Angelic as always. The subtle blush, the black mascara, the ruby red lipstick; they all made her even more gorgeous than she already was. It was capped off with a silver-plated necklace that Cream had given her for her birthday earlier in the year and her quills were tied up in the back to accentuate her very showy appearance.

Damn, I'm a lucky man.

Something came out that was rather unexpected… a wolf-whistle (I was half-expecting the werehog to appropriately burst out at a moment's notice and start howling like a banshee). She giggled lightly at it and bashfully said, "Oh, please. I'm not that good-looking…"

As I was about to rebuke her, Desi beat me to the punch. "ARE YOU KIDDING, MOM?! You look so _pretty_!"

"You know she's right, babe," I said. "Kids are some of the most honest people on the planet."

"Speak for yourself," Knux said under his breath, prompting Rouge to slap him in the back of the skull like I had to do earlier with Cobalt. "Ow!"

"Quiet," Rouge subtly warned as she gritted her teeth.

"Are you ready to go, Sonic?" asked Amy.

"Well, our table won't be ready for another…" I quickly looked at the clock at the other end of the room, "Thirty to forty minutes, so we have time. Besides, I have to give you your anniversary present."

She smiled warmly. "You got me a present?"

"Yeah." I dug into my pocket, but there wasn't anything there. WHERE WAS IT? Oh, wait… who in my house loves jewels? I shouldn't have showed her beforehand. "Rouge? Give it back."

"Shoot," she said. As she pouted, she dug into her purse and pulled out the box. She then tossed it to me.

"I have to remember to watch my pockets around you."

"Sorry, old habits die hard." I rolled my eyes and turned back to Amy.

"Anyway… Amy?" I opened the box. Her reaction was priceless. She sported a genuinely surprised look, not unlike the look that she gave me the day I proposed to her. She grabbed the box and held it up to a light.

"Sonic… honey… it's… it's… it's beautiful!"

"I thought you'd like it. There's a story behind it. This watch was given to my grandma, on my mother's side, by my grandpa for their twenty-fifth (25th) anniversary; their _silver_ anniversary. I found it when I was rummaging through one of the castle's storage rooms. It needed some TLC, given that it hadn't worked in decades. I took it to the Royal Jeweler and he was able to take the twelve small diamonds that represent the twelve numbers on a clock and clean them up. He said that because it was such an old watch, he wouldn't be able to fix it, so I took it to Tails where he worked his magic. It took him a month, but he cleaned the gears, face, hands, and the _pure silver_ band, and he also replaced the old, cracked glass with a new piece of quartz as well as fashioning a new battery. I took it to the jeweler, who reset the diamonds and polished it off."

"But I couldn't! It's a priceless, family heirloom!" she said with a sad look.

"True, but that's what makes it perfect for you. You're priceless _and_ family."

She smiled nervously, yet warmly. "Sonic, thank you."

"There's also one thing left. Look at the back of it."

She took it out of its box and looked closely. She read the inscription silently, but when she was finished, she turned back to me and shed a tear. I was quickly there to wipe it away, protecting her makeup from running.

"'To the Rose I cherish with all my heart. Happy anniversary'." I said aloud, letting everyone know what was inscribed.

"Happy anniversary, Sonic."

"You too, Amy." I plucked the small gift from hand and slid it onto her thin wrist. With the sunset's rays coming into the house through the window, it shined like the diamond on her ring.

"Are we ready to go now?" Amy asked.

"Yeah."

We bade the kids "goodbye" with a warning not to make the babies their little playthings, and wishing Knux and Rouge the best of luck. Amy drove us to our dinner across town. I could see why Sonia and Cream recommended the place. I had a double helping of Chicken Parmesan, while Amy had a simple spaghetti and meatball plate with a side of crispy, buttery garlic bread. We toasted to us with a bottle of fine wine. That was special too. The spirit we drank from was the same kind of wine we had on our wedding day eight years ago, just a newer bottle, but still perfectly aged.

We left for the dance club, and, as I had expected, the place was packed. How packed? Well, no one was getting in without having to wait for an hour at the minimum, even if you were a Prince and Princess. Amy was saddened by this, but I told her that I expected this and brought a backup plan. We would just need to drive to it.

I drove her out to a grassy hill outside of town, and parked it on the side of the road. Before getting out, I rolled all the windows down and took down the convertible's top. It has been _years_ since I was last here.

"We have arrived," I said in a sing-songy voice.

We got out of the car and Amy looked around. "Why are we out here? Better yet, _where_ are we?"

"Well, it's quite the sight to see when it's daytime."

"Everything usually is," she replied dryly.

"Anyway, you can probably make out enough of the luscious, green grass, yes?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, the green grass, the lake in the background, the odd and colorful tiki-totem-poles, the random loop-de-loops in the distance, and the odd rocks that have a dark brown- and light brown-checker-board pattern…"

"You still haven't answered me, Sonic."

I slowly walked around the car and put my arm around her shoulder. "Amy, this… this place is called Green Hill. This place… this is where it all began."

She cocked an eyebrow and replied, "Where what began?"

"This was where Sonic the _Hero_ was born."

"No, your mom told me that you, Manic, and Sonia were all born at the same hospital that our kids were born in."

"Prince Sonic, yes, but not the hero."

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is that this place, Green Hill, was the first time I encountered Eggman, or as he was known back then, Dr. Robotnik. This place was where I began my first adventure, and people learned my name, not just as a prince, but as a protector of the innocent. Shortly after, I continued my crusade with my siblings and eventually took down his global empire, only to have him come back and try again and again. Sure, physically I was born in the hospital with a royal birth certificate, but it was only _here_ when I began my life as the hero that everyone knows."

She raised her eyebrows at my little story. "This place? But still, why are we here?"

"You know how nostalgic I get when a day like our anniversary comes up on the calendar. I thought that the 'biggest fan of Sonic the Hedgehog' would like to see a piece of his history."

"Fair enough."

"To expand on why I brought you out here, I planned ahead in case the dance club was full, as I said before, so I decided to drive us out to a place where no one'll find us. Besides, it's our anniversary and we've been with the kids a lot lately; I thought we deserved a night just to ourselves."

She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "Yeah, you're right."

"It's also perfect that the full moon is shining down on you. Hell, it seems like whenever we need a perfect night, we get it."

"Sonikku, _every_ night I get to spend with you is a perfect night."

"The feeling's mutual, babe," I said as I returned the kiss on the cheek. "Wait right here." I walked back to the car and turned it on, putting a CD in the player and waited a few moments. In the meantime, I took my wife by the hand. "I know you're not too happy that we couldn't dance at that other place, so I made a backup plan. A night of just you and me dancing in nature with a bright moon illuminating our grassy dance-floor."

The music began, and her eyes lit up after the first few bars. Nostalgia never looked better on her. "This… This…"

"Yeah, the same song we danced to on our wedding night eight years ago today." I took off my shoes and socks and set them off to the side and I quickly slipped off her silver shoes, leaving us barefooted on the cool, dewy grass. I offered my hand and looked into her joyful-teared eyes. "Amy, may I have this dance?"

"YES!"

She accepted my hand and I slid both of mine around her waist as she put her around my neck, pulling us close as her head rested against mine. We began to slowly dance in place, letting the wet ground moisten our feet and get between our toes. I kissed her on the forehead and stared directly at her bright, beautiful jade green eyes. I began to sing with the music, starting out with a sweeping string section. We didn't have it or my brother and sister to play live for us, but we made do.

" _Lying here with you_

 _Listening to the rain_

 _Smiling just to see the smile upon your face_

 _These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive_

 _These are the moments I'll remember all my life_

 _I found all I've waited for_

 _And I could not ask for more_

" _Looking in your eyes_

 _Seeing all I need_

 _Everything you are is everything to me_

 _These are the moments_

 _I know heaven must exist_

 _These are the moments I know all I need is this_

 _I have all I've waited for_

 _And I could not ask for more_

" _I could not ask for more than this time together_

 _I could not ask for more than this time with you_

 _Every prayer has been answered_

 _Every dream I have's come true_

 _And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be_

 _Here with you here with me_

" _These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive_

 _These are the moments I'll remember all my life_

 _I've got all I've waited for_

 _And I could not ask for more_

" _I could not ask for more than this time together_

 _I could not ask for more than this time with you_

 _Every prayer has been answered_

 _Every dream I have's come true_

 _And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be_

 _Here with you here with me_

" _I could not ask for more than the love you give me 'cause it's all I've waited for_

 _And I could not ask for more_

 _I could not ask for more"_

Not once did I break eye contact. She never did either, looking up to my emerald greens. As we danced and the more I sang, the more tears she shed. Sure, her makeup began to run and she'd claim that her look was ruined, but I didn't care. She was still the most wonderful and beautiful woman I'd ever know. She buried her face into my chest to try and stop herself, but it didn't work.

"You have no idea how happy you've made me!" she said amid the tears.

"Oh, I think I can guess," I smugly replied.

"So what's next? Are you going to whip out that Andy Griggs piece next?" I laughed at her nostalgic reference, referring to the song I sang to her as she sat down after we shared our first dance as husband and wife.

"No, I think this is enough."

"And that's where you're wrong." She got a better grip on my neck and pulled me in. I accepted the gesture, gripping onto her waist even more to return the favor. We shared a kiss that was salty in flavor from her tears, Spagonian from the taste from our meals, but it was sweet like honey, like fruit, like strawberries. To deepen it, I slid my oral organ in, to which she accepted. Even a few minutes after the song had finished, we stood there; our bodies pressed up against each other as our hands went elsewhere. Hers were around my head and upper back, where mine were in the same position on hers.

I fell backwards slowly, taking her with me. She yelped at my action and stopped as we fell onto the soft, wet grass as she was on top of me. We chuckled and went right back at it. The passion I had exerted before returned tenfold as I began to kiss her harder, sucking her neck to make her moan pleasurably.

"You…," she said as she trailed off as I nibbled at her neck. "I love you!"

"I love you too, Amy."

I rolled over, getting on top of her. My hands now went up and down her body, caressing her shapely leg, stoking her fire even more than before. She clung tighter to my neck to try and one-up me, and she was doing her best to keep up.

It got faster and faster; the passion levels went through the roof. The woman I'd always love unconditionally; the one I've saved countless times; the one who's saved me countless times in return; the mother of my children; the only one who could get _me_ , the hero of Mobius, at her mercy; the only one I'd want to sleep with and kiss relentlessly; and the only one I'd want to be my wife and mother of my four kids.

We broke it off to catch our breath, which had become laborious, given the sweat that showed through or clothes. She still rested on the grass and she still had her arms around me as she was in mine. She looked back to me with her wondrous eyes. I looked down to view them, also catching her face basking in the moonlight.

With a kiss on my cheek, she said, "I wish we could stay here forever."

"Well, we'll have to go back to the house soon and see if the house's still standing."

"Alright then. Let's head-."

I cut her off when she started to get back up and hugged her tightly. "I think Knucklehead and Rouge can handle themselves for a few more minutes.

She smiled. "Yeah. Besides… it is our night, isn't it?"

"And I'll be damned if it isn't," I said as I briefly kissed her again. She chuckled mid-kiss. Of course, since giggling is highly contagious, I had to laugh too. Before long, it was both of laughing at nothing in the moonlit countryside.

We finally stopped and she nestled into my chest. I kissed the top of her head quickly and bowed my head onto hers. As we enjoyed each other's company, one song in particular popped into my head. A song about our commitment throughout the years. I was never a fervent Shania Twain fan, but this song seemed perfect. I began to hum the first few bars, loud enough for Amy to hear and spark her curiosity.

"What's that you're humming?"

"Oh, just a tune that fits us."

"And what might that be?" I restarted my humming as my eyes were closed, concentrating on the lyrics. It was only when I opened my eyes that I started my serenading.

" _Looks like we made it_

 _Look how far we've come, my baby…_ "

 _ **THE END**_

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

 _It is finished. Holy crap. Twenty-four chapters of nothing-but-Sonic the Hedgehog. Its final chapter was named after my favorite Sonic video game theme song. It ended with an Edwin McCain song and Sonic singing Shania Twain. And I wouldn't have it any other way. What took five months to write and formally edit is now 100% complete. I had my doubts whether this story would actually work, much less get finished, but I'm so glad to be proven wrong! Seriously, I mean it. Now that all is said and done, I still have a few more house-keeping things to tend to first._

 _Firstly, I just want to thank you readers for thinking that my material is worth your time. As a writer there's nothing more gratifying than to know that some people will willingly look at your material and read it all, from the very beginning all the way to the end. I can't thank you men and women enough for deeming my story as something worth your time._

 _Secondly, there are a few references I put into this chapter and some statistics that I want to address. This chapter was the longest one. Not counting the author's note, this chapter was 13,961 words. The next-longest chapter was chapter 11, which had 10,480 words. As a total, this story had a grand total of 147,191 words, not counting any of the author's notes/descriptions. A usual novel usually has 40,000 words. This had more than three times that. I'm not bragging, but I am putting it into perspective. Overall, the story, when using a 12-point Cambria font, made for 205 pages on a garden-variety word document if the margins around the words were 1" all the way around. The chapters combined made up 1229.7 KB (1.2297 megabytes) on my computer. Not bad for a fan-fiction, eh?_

 _More on references, Silver and Blaze's children are named after 2 of my favorite video games series. Booker Fontaine refers to Booker DeWitt from BioShock Infinite and Fontaine refers to Frank Fontaine from the original BioShock game. I'm not normally a fan of first-person shooters, but the stories those two games tell are second-to-none. Then there's the daughter. Caroline Gladys refers to the Portal games. Gladys sounds like GLADoS, and GLADoS' former human name was Caroline. If you've played Portal 2, then you should get that. I whole-heartedly recommend that you look at both video game series. There's a lot of replay-ability in those franchises. Knuckles' and Rouge's daughters' first names are pretty much clichés when fan-kids of this shipping come up. Go figure that they'd name them after precious jewels. Emma's middle name (obviously) comes from Maria Robotnik, while Pearl is not. The name Sophia just came to me. I think that it's a very cute name. Xavier Abraham. I already said why Abraham is one of the names in the chapter, but I got Xavier from the X-Men, as in Charles Xavier AKA Professor X. Tails' and Cream's kids aren't exactly creative either, and I believe speak for themselves. As for the SonAmy kids, well, the story explained them already, so I won't repeat it. Getting away from the kids, there are one or two items that are personal pastimes of mine. If you live in Wisconsin, Friday Night Fish-fries are a cult classic as well as the all the things I said in the story that go along with the seafood. It's about as Wisconsin as you could get (save for owning a chessehead) and I recommend you try it if you haven't already. The recipe is in the story._

 _Finally, the future. Now I don't plan on this story being the only story I publish. Coming this December, I will be coming out with another SonAmy story, but it'll be more SonAmy-oriented than Affairs of State was. It'll have Sonic and company singing Christmas songs, the Archie characters, and will be less dark than Affairs of State was. It's also a lot shorter. Truth be told, "Blue Christmas", the name of my next story, has already been written. However, it needs some serious editing to be done first before I even think about publishing it. That's what I'll be doing, as far as story-writing, for November. It should be ready in time for December, so keep a weathered eye out for it when it arrives._

 _There are other projects that I'm debating on writing. One is a Sonic Underground story with some of the Archie characters, there's a SonAmy mermaid story, as well as a few one-shots that come to mind. But the biggest project that I'm just about to start writing is a series of Sonic stories that would be stylized like a comic-book superhero movie. It's a series of 4 stories, and the headcannons are all set as well as the characters. It also includes an origin new origin story for Sonic, starting when he's 25 years old. There would be SonAmy elements, though it would not be as pronounced as other headcannons I have, each story would pit Sonic versus a super-villain of sorts, and would be very dark. Darker than Affairs of State was. It's not so dark where it matches up with comic books like Sin City, but it's very dark for Sonic's standards. It's also inspired by a Sonic fan-fiction named "Street Speed". The writer is ThePenVsTheSword. Look him up on deviantArt, you won't be disappointed in his work. The only reason that I haven't started it is because one of the characters I want to include is somebody else's fan-character. I would have to get a Tumblr page first, though, and would have to ask for that artist's permission to use her character. If I cannot, then I do have a backup plan on the chance that she would say "no". Like I said, the storylines are set to go, but I just need to make sure that I have all my bases covered first before I do something incredibly stupid. Now I'm not saying that I'll be able to finish my story because I don't want to make a promise and then not honor it. I will try my hardest to get it written though, if you are interested._

 _Finally, I want you to let me know if you enjoyed the story. This wasn't your usual Sonamy story, I realize; I feel like this story was so big and ridiculous that it could've been its own movie. You can tell me what I can do to get better and stuff like that. If you do want to give me feedback on the story, then please be honest and professional about it. Don't say stuff like, "I F*CKING HATED IT. WHAT A PIECE OF SH*T." I can take criticism, but please make it as honest, constructive, and professional as possible. Besides, I'm a human being. I have feelings. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think of it, even if you happen to be reading this months or even years after its release._

 _So until next time, thank you so much for reading Affairs of State. As always, all the characters (save for Max Titus, Hector "Hex" Wilson, and my fan-kids) are the property of SEGA, and the music used is the property of their respective owners. Thank you again for reading._


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